tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34209578793767542702024-02-07T00:32:25.754-05:00Grow the ChangeFreija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-75361174676843198822010-02-23T16:32:00.000-05:002010-02-23T16:32:23.227-05:00The EndWe have decided to let this blog go inactive, but hope that it continues to be a valuable archive of our homesteading experiences. Thank you to all of those who interacted and contributed to this blog.Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-81617408898434259282009-12-08T14:39:00.000-05:002009-12-08T14:39:22.552-05:00Cheater's Sourdough Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIOlbVODflZ-1eNipIgFk12M2V6ql7AA1cSt1Qq4qApCQRrclwMIFHIivLzBmDP5p5T7cEmHCvNA0GFI8kBqQnxlBEEXoChs-BsZz-gOwwsUAv_oqubbYXYYzLhQjdHL1BGkN75ude4Gn/s1600-h/DSCF0411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIOlbVODflZ-1eNipIgFk12M2V6ql7AA1cSt1Qq4qApCQRrclwMIFHIivLzBmDP5p5T7cEmHCvNA0GFI8kBqQnxlBEEXoChs-BsZz-gOwwsUAv_oqubbYXYYzLhQjdHL1BGkN75ude4Gn/s320/DSCF0411.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>All of my fermenting vegetables got me thinking...<br />
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I love sourdough bread, but I've been hesitant to start up a sourdough starter, without a fridge or freezer to slow the fermenting starter, I'd have to feed it regularly, which would mean either throwing starter out (since we are sans-chickens lately) or baking like a fiend. And knowing myself, I'd probably work myself into a frenzy using up all of that extra starter in various rolls, breads, pancakes, etc, when we really don't eat all that much wheat normally.<br />
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Maybe I've just been lazy, who knows.<br />
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Anyway, I got to thinking over my maturing sauerkraut, how the lactobacilli in the fermenting vegetables would be the same lactobacilli in the sourdough starter. Then remembering Sally Fallon's <i>Nourishing Traditions</i> technique of increasing grain's digestibility and nutrition by soaking the flour overnight in water with a few tablespoons of whey (lactobacilli again), I knew I couldn't go too far wrong with this.<br />
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So I ground a pound (my normal loaf size) of our <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2009/09/harvesting-grains.html">homegrown wheat kernels</a>, placed the whole wheat flour in a bowl (about 4 cups) with 1 1/2 to 2 cups tepid water, enough to make a wet, but not soupy, dough, and 4 tablespoons of plain sauerkraut juice. Mixed and covered and left in a warm spot overnight.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt5hUNxlnw1t1Z9Hi2OV1Ijo1cejmE85FwH8ehBz2r2H-iBUa1Jad-NzQr4JivQ0iUoLbLniPZe46p7IukgRCBi2U33PSpnl7dyI2-FqzhiYixvkXc_QERH7iu1tp_VDkVoqltNQBkAx9/s1600-h/DSCF0416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt5hUNxlnw1t1Z9Hi2OV1Ijo1cejmE85FwH8ehBz2r2H-iBUa1Jad-NzQr4JivQ0iUoLbLniPZe46p7IukgRCBi2U33PSpnl7dyI2-FqzhiYixvkXc_QERH7iu1tp_VDkVoqltNQBkAx9/s320/DSCF0416.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Dough after 12 hours, ready to be transferred to bread pan<br />
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In the morning the wheat bran and gluten was noticeably broken down, and had both the sticky texture and pleasantly sour aroma of sourdough, along with some bubbles which meant that it had started to ferment. I gave the flour a stir, added a good pinch of salt, and poured it, if that's the correct verb, perhaps transferred it into an oiled bread pan. I let it rise, lightly covered in a warm spot, for another hour or so. When the surface was slightly raised, maybe only an inch, put it straight into a hot oven, 375F. Once in the oven it continued to rise into a nice light loaf. It takes at least an hour to bake, giving it a characteristic thick sourdough crust.<br />
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I wish I could share the smell of the loaf coming out of the oven. It was a perfect sourdough loaf, I could have sworn I was back in San Francisco. Crusty exterior; chewy, pleasantly sour interior; moist but not too heavy. And like sourdough bread it keeps longer, neither going stale or moldy as fast as yeasted breads. Better yet, this recipe has been fool-proof, and oft repeated. It's the least fussy dough I've ever worked with, and the easiest by far to prepare.<br />
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So if you've got a pot of fermenting vegetables hanging around in the cellar, give those hungry little lactobacilli beasties something else to chew on. To keep my fermenting pot topped up, once the water level drops to an inch above the vegetables, I top up with a brine of 2 Tablespoons sea salt to 1 Quart or Liter of water. Given a few days, the lactobacilli will have repopulated the brine, ready for another batch of sourdough.Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-76192115806890757182009-11-19T15:44:00.000-05:002009-11-19T15:44:54.053-05:00What the rest of the world already knowsJust discovered a new, to me, but 20 years grown, resource for sustainable livestock management, <a href="http://www.lrrd.org/">Livestock Research for Rural Development</a>, "The international journal for research into sustainable developing world agriculture." <br />
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It is truly an international journal, the latest issue <a href="http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd21/11/cont2111.htm"> November 2009</a>, includes such varied articles as "Use of redworms (Perionyx excavatus) to manage agricultural wastes and supply valuable feed for poultry" contributed by the Hanoi University of Agriculture, to "Effect of minimal supplemental feeding with lucerne during late gestation on pre-weaning performance of goats" contributed by the Department of Agriculture, South Africa, to "Indigenous knowledge and its relevance for sustainable beekeeping development: a case study in the Highlands of Southeast Ethiopia", contributed by Mada Walabu University, Ethiopia. <br />
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Nearly all of the articles and research in this journal originate in the Global South, and Developing Nations, which makes them all the more applicable to our own First World subsistence, urban and smallholder farming initiatives. I have found a rather large gap in relevant research available to subsistence and small farms. The "how to" books and websites for backyard livestock cover basic handling, housing and feeding, but all of the first-rate University research, from Industrial nations, has been directed at large scale commercial livestock operations. Even the Organic livestock research has been biased toward commercial operations, which differ greatly from smallholder and subsistence livestock systems. A subsistence livestock system will include a more varied, seasonal and bio-regional approach to feed, and an integrated approach to waste and nutrient management, for instance. <br />
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As local food collectives take hold in North America, this research gap will close, especially with the innovation of the Open Science and Creative Commons platform for equal access and distribution of information. In the meantime, I will glean relevant research from the LRRD journal, and marvel at what the "Developing World" is able to do.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fpQPyTTqp6QMTbBh1uWRKpGPoDCzz9CXeqqFytT2RodFroeF5F0igcC2YCK4jIPchCoO7JHpy9X6gYKQTv356x0RASCLXW00-10ZZXV4DYJJw63i85ePcvDzebEnwxdku75L1Ri2DfrR/s1600/DSCF0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fpQPyTTqp6QMTbBh1uWRKpGPoDCzz9CXeqqFytT2RodFroeF5F0igcC2YCK4jIPchCoO7JHpy9X6gYKQTv356x0RASCLXW00-10ZZXV4DYJJw63i85ePcvDzebEnwxdku75L1Ri2DfrR/s320/DSCF0035.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-68287669604630071812009-11-10T15:41:00.001-05:002009-11-10T15:48:40.203-05:00Wool hood and scarf for Winter Biking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm inevitably prone to catching the knitting fever this time of year. It's the crisp temperatures and the adding of layers... what would winter be without wool? We have wool long-johns, wool sweaters, double-layer wool mittens, and the usual plethora of wool socks, hats and scarves</span>.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But never are these wool garments tested more than when winter biking. The wool long-johns have proved their worth in stitches, wool sweaters always form one of the 3-4 layers in our full winter biking garb, and nothing could be more important than a pair of wool socks (or two) for fast-pedaling feet. But there have been gaps in our woolen armor. Even the double-thick wool mittens only make it to about 0-5 C; stationary hands get quite nippy, wind chill is always a factor on a bicycle, and the cold finds it's way through the stitches. Ski gloves work best for winter biking.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other cold spot is the face and neck area. I have usually tried to cover all the bases with a hat that covers most of the ear, a face scarf that covers ear lobes, face and chin, and a scarf wrapped copiously around the neck. But there's always a little gap that forms between the hat and the face scarf, exposing tender ears. Our goal in winter biking is to comfortably transport ourselves, not lose various extremities to frost bite.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hence the latest woolen duo: hood and face scarf. The hood fits neatly under a helmet, and generously covers all those little gaps left by too much mis-matched head garb. The face scarf provides a double covering for the ears and neck, with a single breathable layer over the mouth and nose. A heavy scarf can sometimes prevent easy breathing, and once you are moving along on a bike, the face is warmed by a cloud of warm breath. In the event that the face becomes too hot, the face scarf can be slid down to the chin, and easily moved back into place upon cooling off.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are now looking forward to comfortable journeys on our two wheeled steeds this winter, covered in wool from head to toe.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbq3GLBiPaI8SuI6qrdL7iRfoByebxC4Ut5gBHlQMmWnLTUp1uvzsSyoCbS6TjXMF4Guknni9htHCM7tb0bChQNeR3zakXnhqTLPx2EZogarkyTOcDBn3T2a2U1DkrSzzdSpGKQnJk0id/s1600-h/DSCF0323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbq3GLBiPaI8SuI6qrdL7iRfoByebxC4Ut5gBHlQMmWnLTUp1uvzsSyoCbS6TjXMF4Guknni9htHCM7tb0bChQNeR3zakXnhqTLPx2EZogarkyTOcDBn3T2a2U1DkrSzzdSpGKQnJk0id/s320/DSCF0323.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KO5F433Xjrv9G3IU8auXq32Zvb3G_KnmKLdRQw0cZDKjSGNDjngYUvmOnUfh5GdlhyphenhyphenwFN6sdjSQErXhgzQX-CElZtv_gdhbg3Gtiv3aaC2W25uAVlLMrFx7nyNEeN-FGUK8kisZ4OL03/s1600-h/DSCF0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KO5F433Xjrv9G3IU8auXq32Zvb3G_KnmKLdRQw0cZDKjSGNDjngYUvmOnUfh5GdlhyphenhyphenwFN6sdjSQErXhgzQX-CElZtv_gdhbg3Gtiv3aaC2W25uAVlLMrFx7nyNEeN-FGUK8kisZ4OL03/s320/DSCF0309.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>These two pieces are quite simple to knit. Find a gauge that works with your favorite worsted weight wool yarn, and calculate your stitches for 16 or 17 inches, depending on the size of your head and whether you want a close or a loose fit.<br />
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For the hood, work in the round for 4 inches, in 1x1 ribbing. BO one inch at the beginning of the next row, then work back and forth in stockinette (or find a more decorative stitch such as cabling, herringbone, etc) for 11 to 12 inches. Now pick up stitches along the side edge, including half of the bound off stitches in the chin. Work one side, then the other, in 1x1 ribbing for 1 1/2 inches, BO in pattern. Sew the seams, beginning with the top of the hood, then the seams on the edging.<br />
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Work the face scarf in the same 1x1 ribbing, but add one more inch of stitches per row than the neck of the hood. Work in the round for 6 or 7 inches.Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-88424792619577220262009-10-29T15:30:00.002-04:002009-10-29T17:15:37.322-04:00Organic Seed Alliance<div>I'd like to draw attention to an organization, the <a href="http://www.seedalliance.org/">Organic Seed Alliance</a>, not because it's new, but because they have been doing some amazing work in the last few years. And because they have a model for collaborative seed saving, education and advocacy that could easily be emulated by regions outside of the Northwest.<br /><br />To give a taste of their ideology, I've copied this from their Vision Statement...<br /><blockquote>VISION: Seed is both our common cultural heritage and a living natural resource fundamental to the future sustainability of food production. Proper stewardship of our genetic resources necessitates not only its conservation, but careful management in a manner which allows seed to continually evolve with challenges of the environment, cultural practices of sustainable agriculture and the need to feed people. Through advocacy, collaborative education, advisory services, and research we work to restore and develop seed varieties for current needs while safeguarding invaluable genetic resources for future generations.</blockquote>They have recently won a court challenge against the introduction of Round Up Ready Sugar Beets in the Northwest, which can be read about on their blog, <a href="http://blog.seedalliance.org/">seed broadcast</a>. But most interesting to me are their publications, (which by the way have been licensed under the Creative Commons, allowing the information to be freely distributed and used, as long as no money is made by doing so). Their field guides on seed production are the most detailed, specific seed saving publications I have read, with truly good applied science and organic cropping techniques. Not only that, but they are an alliance, or collective, of organic farmers in a bio-region who organize to pool their resources, land, time and expertise to breed vegetable, herb and grain varieties that meet both the changing climate conditions, as well as the low-input techniques of organic food production. <br /><br />Their model is participatory, re-engaging farmers in our once openly held seed heritage. To quote them again, on education...<br /><blockquote>In addition to this loss in genetics there has been a concurrent loss in the base of knowledge and skills necessary to properly steward and improve plant genetics in a ecologically and ethically sound manner. Farmers, once the primary seed stewards around the globe, have rapidly been removed from the seed circle - no longer participating in plant breeding or conservation. Only a few generations ago, the practices of on-farm seed saving and basic crop improvement were not only common, but necessary.</blockquote>And their ethics incorporate social justice, environmental stewardship and food security through the advocacy of maintaining intellectual property in the Public Domain, and out of the hands of private or corporate ownership.<br /><blockquote>Organic Seed Alliance believes that as humans, we hold an important responsibility to steward resources in a manner that is just, equitable and recognizes the needs of current and future generations. We are working with farmers, breeders, lawyers and ethicists to develop a philosophical approach to seed development and stewardship that will include recognition of the valuable contributions of traditional agriculture and indigenous communities, promote farmer's rights to save and improve seeds, and support the long term integrity of the genetic resource of seeds. We believe this can be accomplished while recognizing and compensating for the investment of breeders, research and development.<br /><br />We believe that the public good can integrate with commerce and that conservation can coexist with innovation. This approach will incorporate elements of the Open Source software movement, applications of the Precautionary Principle, and recognition of the value (social, economic, nutrient sustaining) of natural resources to future generations.</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote></div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-72444333117938203202009-10-23T15:04:00.001-04:002009-10-23T15:14:08.899-04:00First Snow<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICeBajgV7TsMvD1aJoHPKrgiIugjAYiqU9pCjo2ijPyzx0IPnSWhFksCPdMc_nt7W0Xh7Lg-4wD5g-j4GZGfSWlGwWqiCjDr5BzCs4R4VO7eTrJrnj7HEDBF-mSPoeHCDRtzswzeJLivA/s1600-h/DSCF0159.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395874107506053970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICeBajgV7TsMvD1aJoHPKrgiIugjAYiqU9pCjo2ijPyzx0IPnSWhFksCPdMc_nt7W0Xh7Lg-4wD5g-j4GZGfSWlGwWqiCjDr5BzCs4R4VO7eTrJrnj7HEDBF-mSPoeHCDRtzswzeJLivA/s320/DSCF0159.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xgAsAoU8oFUE4BiDHLZ6QIcpTdsw9vfJYzvWkDkK0RjepW-2CN4UF1D8D6a49YYy9RK3vtjj8GourFkhKGd6iDzMykjayrSSYJrYzs89obpomxOu_6clDg9Z1n2TztBAdDXjPC7unD6L/s1600-h/DSCF0156.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395874094633958418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xgAsAoU8oFUE4BiDHLZ6QIcpTdsw9vfJYzvWkDkK0RjepW-2CN4UF1D8D6a49YYy9RK3vtjj8GourFkhKGd6iDzMykjayrSSYJrYzs89obpomxOu_6clDg9Z1n2TztBAdDXjPC7unD6L/s320/DSCF0156.JPG" border="0" /></a>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-26819427813290242262009-10-23T14:46:00.005-04:002009-10-23T14:59:31.197-04:00Conversation with a local farmer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-YcLMy8rKesyAGtHvPSrRTCpD732m2njlMr9kwUt11NA92sGQsMQiN0GWAJzvuU1FsTLOmhs28gQm3uHQP5JtC90AJAinIcC3dgWgvrPMNba9JHwZhSR4sm9PNUjx71jtFdpBr40hJ1j/s1600-h/DSCF0099.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395871518280901282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-YcLMy8rKesyAGtHvPSrRTCpD732m2njlMr9kwUt11NA92sGQsMQiN0GWAJzvuU1FsTLOmhs28gQm3uHQP5JtC90AJAinIcC3dgWgvrPMNba9JHwZhSR4sm9PNUjx71jtFdpBr40hJ1j/s320/DSCF0099.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>by (the elusive) Beringian Fritillary</em></div><br /><div></div><div>This week we helped a local farmer with his carrot harvest. He practices Integrated Pest Management, and I asked a few questions about his transition over the last 10 years, away from the high levels of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides recommended in spray programs. On the carrot crop we were harvesting, he had used a post-emergent herbicide when the carrots were about 2" high to control the grass coming up in the crop, (we had very wet cold spring and mechanical cultivation was not possible, even on his sandy loam soils). The crop had moderate grass and weed pressure, and minimal pest or disease pressure. I asked what kind of crop loss he tolerates in his Integrated Pest Management program before spraying a crop, he answered between 15%-20%, I would have expected between 5-10%. I was surprised at this level of crop loss, on a cost-based analysis. I was curious whether his rational for this kind of practice was ideological, economic or consumer driven demand. His answer was short, it was basically an economically based decision that evolved into his farm management approach over the last 10 years. He started out wholesaling carrots at 3 cents a pound (less cost), and now gets about $1-$1.50 pound at the farmers market by transitioning to a direct-sales model, growing less volume, and keeping his machinery/labor costs down. He has noticed in the last few years, a lot more younger families are demanding better quality produce, in particular local produce.</div><br /><div>To add some background, his model of farming is viable because he has inherited land and farming machinery, and has access to low-interest loans and government funding because of his established status in the region. He has seen his share of young start-up farmers collapse under the debt load of building a farm from the ground up. He also has access to hundreds of acres of traditionally farmed land for crop rotation, which contributes to his success with IPM. He also has access to quality seed from the best European plant breeders and seed producers.</div><br /><div>To contrast, on the home front we had a 60% crop loss (based on a 25 tonne/acre carrot yield) in our carrot crop, using our saved seed and no sprays, organic or chemical, grown in poor soil improved with composted horse manure. Our ground is very poor and run down, with little hummus or soil depth. We had a infestation of cut worms which contributed the majority of crop loss. We are still going though the science of it all, studying soil sciences and the relationship between pests and soil nutrients, to sort out the probabilities and causes. We have enough crop to get though the year, with adjustments in the pantry, and a late planting of carrots left in the ground to overwinter, and harvest in the spring.</div><br /><div>The feeling I have about backyard/small homesteading gardens is that you can look after yourself in good times, and possibly survive the bad, but what about the times when most of these methods of growing food fail? Here's the rub: local organic and conventional farmers will profit greatly from this, in fact they are speculating on this outcome. A classic scenario that Naomi Klein, in her book Disaster Capitalism, outlines. The unofficial farming conversations that I hear going on over the last 15 years, is that they are waiting for the full impacts of climate change, and protective farming practices to bring greater profits to agro-business, survival of the fittest or the chosen. I think its an old struggle between profit, self interest and cultural tradition.</div><br /><div>So what started out as a good news story, which it is and no malice on behalf of the farmer, but the forces that are driving his decision are market based. I would go on to say that he provides a large quantity of produce to the local food bank, and has helped us out greatly as many local farmers do. This is the hard part, it's not personal in so far as it is a social/political culture that demands market opportunity and welfare support. What I find interesting is the interplay between doing something good, and yet the temptation to profit from unequal distribution of land and resources.</div><br /><div>So if you are a farmer/homesteader/backyard gardener, what is the food growing future you see? </div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-13870625391236062552009-10-19T13:33:00.005-04:002009-10-19T17:22:25.293-04:00Wintermilk: making soymilk and tofuWell, I suppose we're not totally out of things to blog about, on the homefront...<br /><br />Since we will be leaving the farm in the spring, and winters are a hardship on animals up here, we won't be keeping any livestock this winter. And since dairy and egg production are on hold through the dark and extremely cold months of January - March, we won't be missing much. Last winter we purchased rice and soy milk, in bulk, to carry us through the goat's milk drought, since the only other option within our range is commercial cow's milk. But we got to thinking about making soy milk and tofu this year instead.<br /><br />Now, we have each been through the spectrum of diets, from vegan to vegetarian to Weston A. Price traditional-meat-and-dairy based diet. For the most part, veganism and vegetarianism grew naturally out of an urban environment, and we got interested in Weston Price and the well-known cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, as we started raising our own livestock.<br /><br />We now have a hybridized diet. Since raising meat, eggs and milk is still resource expensive in the North, requiring large amounts of land, and grain/hay supplies to last at least 7 months a year, we do not entirely rely upon meat and dairy to supply our protein. In fact, to raise these products out of season, we need to grow high-protein legume feeds for the animals... legumes we could just as easily grow for ourselves. I enjoy the milk and egg glut that comes with the spring and early summer, but treat these foods as seasonal items. And for meat, we consume 10 lbs a month, for two adults, plus as much gelatin rich broth as I can put away. Legumes make up the rest of our protein requirements.<br /><br />Along with learning about such nutrient rich foods as a good bone stock, and lacto-fermented vegetables advocated by the Weston Price foundation, we also became weary of soybeans. And in the process, did some in-depth research for myself. From what I have read, on both sides of the issue, and even from the livestock perspective, I understand the dangers of a heavily soy-based diet to be primarily from improper preparation, or from an imbalance of calcium when replacing soy for milk. Soy, along with other legumes and grains, is heavy on the side of phosphorous, and low on the side of calcium, the opposite of milk. So as we phase out dairy products, and begin using more properly prepared soy-based foods, my main concern is fulfilling our calcium requirements. Especially in the winter months when our "green" foods are at the lowest.<br /><br />So I did a calcium "audit" of our typical winter diet, and found that the base-line is at about half of a recommended daily intake of 1000mg. In further researching calcium rich foods, sesame seeds and poppy seeds pack the highest boost of calcium, way above the alfalfa sprouts I had expected to close the gap. Another great surprise was that many of the spices I use in our winter foods, the kinds of spices often found in curry or gharam masala, are also some of the most calcium rich foods. These spices are mostly of the umbrelifa family: cumin, caraway, anise, fennel and coriander. It seems that calcium comes in small packages.<br /><br />Well, after a lengthy pre-amble, here's some of the delicious foods we prepared with our bulk sack of soybeans...<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394366573922499154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQT70w1jrw7vN-nuzqtPoz39r0cVCWaAKwYTKz7bLh-X9iy7as-egE-LoV5oe9-Xc1hyEe4eDsSLdH0ETzb_p7yWnSuUV-w3HtYUHC5Wl_ZreW19mi1U-rUY5JljRT3caAl94XfCMpQxk/s320/DSCN7506.JPG" border="0" /><br />First of all, <a href="http://www.ellenskitchen.com/faqs/tofumilk.html">here's a link to some tofu and soymilk recipes</a>, since I won't be giving detailed instructions here. Basically, the beans are soaked and blended with water, then the slurry is boiled for 15 minutes to destroy the enzyme that makes raw soy indigestible. When it is filtered, the liquid is soymilk, and the pulp is called <em>okara.</em><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394366580778983602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrV2KegODJHZ0wIwM9icO3JyS0L81x7-n_lixY5c-noznPGDnPxZfEgvXjBn98Rg3cfuGyUp5rrACO2mN0121itK8mtqpDW25wgGBuOlelnDVdgFQBqiasc157KYmE0O50ksH4hyxZfNwV/s320/DSCN7536.JPG" border="0" /> One pound of raw soybeans, which I bought in bulk for 75 cents a pound, made 3 Quarts of soymilk (in later processing I was more careful not to let the soymilk reduce like it did in my first batch below), along with about 4 cups of <em>okara</em>. I added a touch of sweetener and a pinch of salt to each Quart of soymilk, and I'm really pleased with the result. More about the <em>okara</em> below.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394366592916220034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WBYqd54dD2k0DAwA9_Fs31Y6u1jNmo9iA4nR7gkG4HFfm0VjOKmTri7OlEY_0uEkuGvaMuH4CsBvB-2SqMeyB9ASqgUcHhAm-_L2PakaoJC-OurzqzzyrDScxDUQzhoiEFJkW8MFT3Sg/s320/DSCN7521.JPG" border="0" /> In my next batch, beginning again with one pound of raw soybeans, the filtered soymilk is re-heated and curdled, very similar to cheese-making, to form tofu curds. There are a few curdling agents, including calcium sulfate which would fortify our tofu with calcium, but I couldn't find it locally and used the more commonly found magnesium sulfate, or Epsom salts (be sure to use the salts made for internal purposes... read the label).<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394366598864484946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirut3cVXMjfY_zDlYWDe7OGHmdIkwj0rWUpPO02jIH-2Ersu30XED4yVs8b0sMMSSPN_tUSvkxCu5sUxjm4v5fOcelWNRf2ksaHt31XTzH8u3di2FjdPv_7tlLdVEFzGloZ_v69a6qO1hI/s320/DSCN7527.JPG" border="0" /><br />The curds are pressed in a cheese-press type of contraption, forming a nice firm tofu. One pound of raw beans produced 1 1/2 pounds of pressed tofu. The whey is mild tasting and makes a nice soup base or bread making liquid.<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394366610190388626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyJwL7IPb1kSdLISetqUIY8Knqdk1dWawzruYWWlTBZT0aSO5u7OJ2komH7AGzX2BILpSX7M2PDlUGNRI4S8R8ZAedILFNyMoLZs036NmM8Eo67GcNVSEdwgYp6oNJ1J_xc6LXvX1_-PU/s320/DSCN7532.JPG" border="0" /> </div><div>First tofu fry... tossed with a kale, red pepper and onion stir-fry... yum.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394367250904507762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLJPpQvoKU2JVLEEchtqqoOpXRlCTBrV2wsN5AtDWNuveJc-LEedXjpLHIH2uObiDLqgyR3pLjHYW3cGmwwTqZxStQbIk_qsDSQYLlUU7h1bFzbWoohphNUhoeGORb5iGely-hjqQzGgV/s320/DSCN7534.JPG" border="0" /><br />Now back to that <em>okara</em>. It retains most of the fiber and carbohydrates, and about half of the fat and protein from the beans. Here's a <a href="http://ellenskitchen.com/clearlight/okara/okara.html">link with some really inspired recipes </a>to use and enjoy this unfamiliar by-product of soymilk/tofu making. The patties below are made from the UnChicken Nuggets recipe in the link above.<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394367255192658866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwlnS0kRNEoS9eyGTj-1r0n-57ugkwAXkb_eskDjS4ma5OaoQqfRVoORfLW2wkB7SEVKH4mWAjYJaYRF7iEYyzJSlF05dh0BSnZRvv_pS8AkrnkAT_coJqR38PtEYDDrHnwOoffYsyOKH/s320/DSCN7522.JPG" border="0" />Since the <em>okara</em> is high in soy-oil, it can be used to replace some of the fat in baked goods. It is also a fluffy type of grain, and can replace eggs for a slightly firmer texture in cakes or muffins. I tried the toasted <em>okara</em> recipe, which has a lightly nutty/coconutty flavor that can be used to replace toasted coconut in recipes, and it smelled so good, I decided to try a granola. I mixed half rolled oats and half cooked okara, omitting oil/fat, sweetened to taste, spiced to taste, added sesame seeds (for calcium!), and toasted in the oven as granola. It's absolutely delicious, better than traditional oat granola. I have no doubt we will find many ways to incorporate this new ingredient in our diet. <em>Okara</em> can even be dehydrated and ground, for easy storage, or to make your own soy protein powder.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnkvVALBWrFzrcuxEIr3RJCyQyzMW6s6R3UNLgmCaY6lO14gJt2X7ERdNwvx5ZmRA_ML9-uOJYkF8tj4qt9rST42fz6Rd3-si-XsgKsPTj6lf2XRBRNgKYDZeF-a-E_1ewUVzO3iCR8gi/s1600-h/DSCN7539.JPG"><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394367264439802370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnkvVALBWrFzrcuxEIr3RJCyQyzMW6s6R3UNLgmCaY6lO14gJt2X7ERdNwvx5ZmRA_ML9-uOJYkF8tj4qt9rST42fz6Rd3-si-XsgKsPTj6lf2XRBRNgKYDZeF-a-E_1ewUVzO3iCR8gi/s320/DSCN7539.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br />Making tofu and soymilk at home requires about the same amount of time as dairy milk and simple cheeses. But the cost-return is higher than dairy products. 75 cents worth of soybeans yielded $6 of soymilk or $8 of tofu, not counting the <em>okara</em> and whey by-products. Soy milk can also be made into <a href="http://www.ellenskitchen.com/clearlight/soyyogurt.html">soy-yogurt</a>, using the same dairy yogurt starter. Growing our own soybeans would no doubt, require less time and land than maintaining a single dairy goat, year-round, in our bio-region and climate. So for now we have soymilk next to the goat's milk; tofu 2-3 times a week and goat's meat 3-4 times a week. A happy hybrid.Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-41005905577551940822009-10-13T15:33:00.003-04:002009-10-13T17:02:21.660-04:00The wrap up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIin-S4cpffMGSIPWOat-ktEOydht3M3Wz25NAeB_5XVrUNsCXHz1DuAVvK_SzFP8IclaKpfr2VtLwnuOTlAOUnSY8FQ-mkTuToEuRbulL5BaTcbZvoH1ZnNUnKEW56RcQhj5oNgpSSpPh/s1600-h/DSCN7474.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392170224852111186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIin-S4cpffMGSIPWOat-ktEOydht3M3Wz25NAeB_5XVrUNsCXHz1DuAVvK_SzFP8IclaKpfr2VtLwnuOTlAOUnSY8FQ-mkTuToEuRbulL5BaTcbZvoH1ZnNUnKEW56RcQhj5oNgpSSpPh/s320/DSCN7474.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The garden is all but finished for the year, just a lonely row of cabbages, kales and Brussels sprouts, along with a patch of frost hardy parsley, and a few late onions in the ground. Everything else has found a place in the pantry, the spice rack, or the cool room. Tomatoes of all stages from green to yellow to pink are ripening, an abundance of green, yellow and red peppers will keep for a few weeks at least. The potatoes are in their bins, carrots and parsnips in their sacks, pumpkins and squash on their shelves. Even the rooster and the bucks have found their way to the pantry this weekend, as canned meat and rich broth. Well, the rooster only got as far as the table really, one of the many harvest feasts we enjoy this time of year. So it's quite a bit quieter around here.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is interesting, wrapping up the season, but this time, not making those thousand preparations in anticipation of next year's garden. No seed saving since we want to start again with bio-regional varieties, although I am a thousand times tempted to stash away a few packets, out of a reflexive sense of preservation. But we have no rare varieties in need of salvation. And the practical consideration of moving cross-continent by bicycle keeps our load light. (Of course there are some things we will be shipping across like my trusty pressure canner, my treasured spinning wheel, our solar panel, etc.) But there is no safe passage for seed, so I let them scatter, and smile at the thought of all of these volunteer vegetable seeds, springing up in the re-planted pastures after we are gone.</div><div> <br /></div><div>When we go, no one will take over our garden, it will go back to pasture, cut for hay once a year. But I take heart in knowing we have made some small improvements to the soil, we leave our treasures for the worms, the insects, the invisible biota living out their secret lives, and for the birds that have become our constant companions in the garden.</div><div> <br /></div><div>The kitchen this time of year has the feel of industry: the pressure canner sputtering, wood stove chugging along, and food, always food, in every stage of preparation and storage. There's always a job to do, but not in a bad way, each job has it's pleasure and satisfaction. I sometimes feel as though I have a thousand clocks in my head, or rather kitchen-timers, each one set sometime in the spring, when seeds were planted, kids born, each one with it's own duration. This is the time of year when everything ticks down, I'm constantly scanning the timers, and tending the tasks that are nearest to completion. I just have to scan my overflowing kitchen (spilling out into the living quarters this time of year), to see herbs in various stages of drying, baking beans to shell, curing pumpkins behind the wood stove, shrivelled ground cherries in the warming oven nearly dry, ripening fruit to sort and process.</div><div> <br /></div><div>It used to be quite overwhelming, in my first few fledgling years as a, well, a housewife. I no longer object to this word because I understand the skill, competence and dedication it demands. Well, truthfully, I'm only a part-time housewife, and only when it's too cold to pleasurably work outside! Now, I don't mind the small circuit of my daily routines, always in proximity to the warm stove, the heart of the household. But as soon as spring breaks, I'm a caged bird, set loose, I'm a gardener, a homesteader, and grudgingly maintain the house, emptied of it's stores of food, hollowed out, dormant.</div><div> <br /></div><div>But this winter feels different, we are spinning a cocoon this winter, weaving new dreams, with new adventures. And making room for a new beginning. Instead of the thousand preparations for next year's garden, we have the thousand preparations for a move. And mostly what consumes our immediate interest is our cycling adventure. We are bike obsessed. Researching tandems, anything we can find about them, and touring gear and routes and tips.</div><div> <br /></div><div>A tandem bicycle is perfect for us, I love the idea of the cooperation and coordination required. On a tandem we will be so much more in tune with one another, and working together on tough climbs, the same way we work together in the garden and household, coordinating our efforts, working with efficiency, and enjoying the companionship. Besides, tandems are fast!</div><div> <br /></div><div>I've also realized that I've come full circle with this blog, I've written about a 12 month cycle of growing and preserving our food. It has been good, it is a good record of what we have achieved, on a bare piece of land, on an empty road. And I hope it has been informative, after all, I know how much I have learned in the process. But we have come to a natural end, realizing there is only so far the two of us can go on this road to self-sufficiency, without turning to capitalism's infrastructure to support us: the ironic hypocritical conclusion to the independent quest of self-reliance. From where we are, we can see that communalism, collectivism, eco-socialism, whatever tag you want to put on it, is the least destructive way forward, perhaps the only way.</div><div> <br /></div><div>So this blog may find it's natural conclusion, or it may evolve, or we may move on to a new blog, leaving this one to archive the food-skills we acquired, perhaps returning to it when we plant our next seeds. Either way, we'll let you know.</div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-59868258602405637862009-09-30T16:00:00.004-04:002009-09-30T17:53:31.889-04:00How to get those tomatoes nakedI rarely enjoy the task of removing tomato skins, and sometimes prefer to leave them, for certain things, such as last week's chutney, where the combination of textures (apples with their skins on, peppers, etc) conceal the tomato skins. But for a good tomato sauce, skins off is undeniably better. I've tried a few methods, dropping the tomatoes in boiling water to remove the skins, and pressing the raw tomatoes through a food mill, which separates both skins as well as seeds. The boiling water method works just fine, but it is a rather hot process working on a wood stove, and the heat tends to wear me out faster than the task. And the food mill is a slow process, but only leaves me with a puree, when sometimes I would rather have some of the texture of the tomato meats and seeds in the finished product. So it was with excitement that I read about a trick to remove tomato skins raw, in a 1980 Organic Gardening publication.<br /><br />I've been wanting to try it out and see if it is a viable method for removing the skins from large batches of tomatoes. So I set out with a 20lb pail of ripe Roma tomatoes. I have a pleasant work counter and stool, so that I can sit at a comfortable height to do large food processing tasks. Here's the technique: use only ripe tomatoes, paste types work best, but it works for all varieties.<br /><br />Scrape the tomato skin with the back of your pairing, or small kitchen knife. Scrape back and forth a few times, applying slight pressure, like you are shaving the skin, rotating the tomato to work around the whole fruit. You will start to see the skin wrinkle under the right pressure, and the texture of the tomato changes to that of a water balloon, as if there's a layer of water just under the skin. This method separates the skin from the flesh underneath. Then slice off the stem end and peel down from the top. The skin should come off easily.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8sKv3JhA_slvlwRrKgQFw06ia0vYxIGc93AEXXSvbDa5gXtRF0tkHe7ljLyiWvHi5x7tZ19s3XmoFEAmi6NYewMCN8JKqz16FU_HhIBiJDTjbnl4Ejg3JXrRyRW9wWDwwewioAs1pb8d/s1600-h/DSCN7478.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387354179368797234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8sKv3JhA_slvlwRrKgQFw06ia0vYxIGc93AEXXSvbDa5gXtRF0tkHe7ljLyiWvHi5x7tZ19s3XmoFEAmi6NYewMCN8JKqz16FU_HhIBiJDTjbnl4Ejg3JXrRyRW9wWDwwewioAs1pb8d/s320/DSCN7478.JPG" border="0" /></a>I found this to be a method comparable to the boiling process, perhaps a bit slower, but no standing at a hot stove, waiting over a steaming pot for the water to re-boil. I certainly enjoyed the task more, and felt less worn out afterward. And sometimes that's more important than the length of time a task takes.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_sCgJErbpcEoCVp2f8GAZPEMjA9K_fpGCg8pWbOJazehzPUxxBltX6ssM6Jg2SeYwbbUPmLlFm2zZXBgbwRp6TAPO7q7CxI41eKcMpx82qXI_AUm4ZxhlVhnH19QIT7AFOL0biDTRvtw/s1600-h/DSCN7481.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387354170659258754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_sCgJErbpcEoCVp2f8GAZPEMjA9K_fpGCg8pWbOJazehzPUxxBltX6ssM6Jg2SeYwbbUPmLlFm2zZXBgbwRp6TAPO7q7CxI41eKcMpx82qXI_AUm4ZxhlVhnH19QIT7AFOL0biDTRvtw/s320/DSCN7481.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><p>Naked tomatoes, ready for processing.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387354169596420226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxrNhxJCosqDQYmeYMumyOHzvhvcF-AJJ_pruRkImoJmGFtM-tY45z-iMRdwhNzVRjBHZ_zdtAvq-M305V4LFRk4qJTUa4_DiIXZYlTnO1ibUP6wsKd3U2Rd1TwImmjwIcUrQLLvnOKBC/s320/DSCN7496.JPG" border="0" /></p>Add a few diced peppers, and garden herbs, and we've got a taste of summer to grace humble winter meals. What a delight when the harvest basket is full of such vibrant color, and flavor!Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-17739028344238363802009-09-21T15:57:00.005-04:002009-09-21T16:39:40.730-04:00Fruits: a celebrationThe peak harvests from our tomato crop are inevitably post-frost, but the tomatoes do ripen in a hurry after the plants begin to die back this time of year. So with my first 20lb pail of ripe tomatoes, I've finally got enough to start canning! After working with a pressure canner to put up the winter's green beans and peas, the gentle and quick boiling water bath, used to safely can acid foods, feels like a snap. A good supply of tomatoes really does perk up the winter root cellar diet.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_CkIMyS3M8Vm2UtPSKVYecHITBgSLtbnREAEXIBOeFbKs4waXrpm4io_WOnEPS277rUgl1JI24_7SpWIrRqyR3PvryV8sQnC5NU9XzJqyo_xpRypauYmTs6bjnRenqSzt48R4NuqVd_F/s1600-h/DSCN7388.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384013870462693618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_CkIMyS3M8Vm2UtPSKVYecHITBgSLtbnREAEXIBOeFbKs4waXrpm4io_WOnEPS277rUgl1JI24_7SpWIrRqyR3PvryV8sQnC5NU9XzJqyo_xpRypauYmTs6bjnRenqSzt48R4NuqVd_F/s320/DSCN7388.JPG" border="0" /></a> This first harvest of tomatoes went into a chutney, with some of the small tart apples, gleaned in an abandoned homestead apple orchard, abundant this year but not yet sweetened with enough frosts. The tart apples married well with the sweet ripe tomatoes, spiced with red, green and yellow peppers, curry, dates and a touch of raw sugar and homemade apple cider vinegar. Three dozen pints should keep us happy.<br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowxeLjAvTvMZ4sVhMYGYOOAZ1j6X2hNQ1yEG-hc_BUZFIYbQhcICgUsuTbL4yI2XJJ94r9JrbxvUiR0DxKcg44UEryOEPJmy0fRuFekG8VnNfOBF-66dbIyAIbCveu1bgIID7GcAx57oT/s1600-h/DSCN7390.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384013860293160818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowxeLjAvTvMZ4sVhMYGYOOAZ1j6X2hNQ1yEG-hc_BUZFIYbQhcICgUsuTbL4yI2XJJ94r9JrbxvUiR0DxKcg44UEryOEPJmy0fRuFekG8VnNfOBF-66dbIyAIbCveu1bgIID7GcAx57oT/s320/DSCN7390.JPG" border="0" /></a> I enjoy looking ahead this time of year, and providing us with small gifts and celebrations of summer, for the slow cold days of winter. Perhaps this act is the more genuine origin of the holiday tradition of buying up summer's sale items, storing them in closets and other dark places to bring them out adorned with festive wrapping to generate a feeling of celebration and giving. Although I have long abandoned the malls and consumate culture of consumer-mania, I still feel drawn to practice this art of adorning our harvests into creative and stimulating combinations, package them up and put them in a dark cupboard, until they are called upon, one by one, to generate that true feeling of celebration and camaraderie.<br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBnUEMIZdWtO1tbmpfKFKNMVM8uwZazgcb6gRbPHq3iwboVB83gUxwZHWYXyZM7KSvjFRfD2ddtFI3ZrQnzkrCHsOyO4Y6GBWu4kbirj9iTOk_uZD4EioWWCeNl9OG1IIPTv607MN84mo/s1600-h/DSCN7373.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384013854146677106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBnUEMIZdWtO1tbmpfKFKNMVM8uwZazgcb6gRbPHq3iwboVB83gUxwZHWYXyZM7KSvjFRfD2ddtFI3ZrQnzkrCHsOyO4Y6GBWu4kbirj9iTOk_uZD4EioWWCeNl9OG1IIPTv607MN84mo/s320/DSCN7373.JPG" border="0" /></a> Another crop just coming into it's peak are the Ground Cherries. These are indeed a strange fruit, quaint in their paper wrapping, and odd flavor combination of tomato and pineapple. But they are a prolific annual fruit that can be grown by gypsies and renters alike. Harvesting them is a unique process as well because as the name implies, the fruit falls to the ground when it is nearly ripe, and finishes ripening in the dappled shade of the bushes. Their paper husks make them resistant to rot, with a good mulch underneath, and dry weather, the fruits will ripen conveniently on the ground, and can be gathered once a week. Which is a relief because lifting and weaving through the tangled, ground-hugging branches to gather the fruits is a bit of a chore, not at all like harvesting other fruits that ripen at more convenient heights.<br /><br /><div>But they have a few winning qualities... They are not a watery fruit, making them easy to dry, they make perfect little raisins, with a pineapple twist. And they will continue ripening indoors, much like tomatoes, lengthening the season for fresh fruit, and making for convenient sized harvests for ease of preserving, instead of the all-at-once nature of more delicate berries. Also, I have never once seen a bird or other animal or insect (besides the occasional slug) attracted by the fruit, so I have no competition for the harvest, unlike true cherries and tree fruits.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384019456973761858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirY8LXg3J53i-INj7roUhBhZN1wHw-cgXGjzwlEXHXwww24hPTKBNxeuj1fhS5Oa8lzIrucjjBAD5zdZRYCenYCdpscJZr-E95rXhdQFG20XR4gLaT7RkG1WetRPDDpI5b0D0zyxp9rPNm/s320/DSCN7328.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>To dry the ground cherries, I simply string the ripe fruits into long chains and hang them behind the wood stove. Depending on the weather, and how often I am using the wood stove for canning, they will take a week or so to dry into raisins. I store the dried fruit in glass jars, opening the lids often in the first month to check for moisture on the lid, or a moldy fruit. If they are still moist they can be spread out on a cookie sheet and placed in a warm (100F) oven for an hour or so, cooled and returned to an airtight container in a dark, cool place.<br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-89628930330041548602009-09-16T16:22:00.005-04:002009-09-16T17:11:22.808-04:00The big and the littleIt's the big one...<br /><br /><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382173542433488850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 255px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIA9FTwKxV9dV7ZaJwyIY6ZRYrDVdHcUtEMYO9_zACG8EAPXLsQgTCF_AI6xZ8TAi6LA1J_6LWGlkw9BmTXdGlHn3fU_b6CEaXk-kjueQUSuehUteYa7pH2-dDvh0S9cNj3Y3mCtg0C0rp/s320/DSCN7336.JPG" border="0" />We've got whopping big potatoes this year, must be all the rain. And even this pound-and-a-halfer had barely a spot of hollow heart in the middle, solid potato all the way through, and enough to fill the dinner plate!<br /><br /><div>And all the little ones...<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382164489785302722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJNhfj_W3jnBZ3oh02axZH8d6mrejCppsQk_o5LkM0VMhDyRljbMWfKQPFqrjA-7NCXHQ5T4_Gf-oOt8z9vpO2oPpBAcJS9D-Jma2sWBavHsjbhgH_rNmMKGJdi5Sjpx-6BKhJIlzOFy0/s320/DSCN7337.JPG" border="0" /> We're expecting a real Zero degree frost tonight, so the squash and pumpkins have been brought in to cure. We had a late crop, and there were a dozen or so of these little promising would-be squash. Not sure how much flavor they have, or how green they are, at best I'm hoping for something like zucchini. I figure I'll try them breaded and fried, after all, everything tastes good breaded and fried! If not, I'm sure the goats and chickens will make quick work of them.<br /><br /><div><div>All tucked in for the night...<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382164505028931266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdcgYfeJJOiLdcyMcx27rqkIftySrlHJImehaludfEFl1cEpV_dgROiFJwOaSOhkv5rPm93imdlt3a1TJ8m-IixP_cGR1DrsrAUc4Mm2Bmk50xRaiNj5MiZGPEwKJwWouTDsMa1kjmtqq/s320/DSCN7254.JPG" border="0" />We put our peppers, tomatoes and ground cherries in one long bed so that we can cover them easily. We procured some heavy plastic house-wrap from a mini-house mover. He usually has to pay to take it to the dump, so he's always keen to pass it along. It is very heavy duty plastic, we have also used it as the weather-proof layer to our board and baton barn roofs, and it has out-performed anything we have purchased. At least it's diverted from the waste-stream, it's hard to believe that plastic this heavy, with so much potential for re-use, is trashed after a single use.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-42055788541123169112009-09-14T14:36:00.007-04:002009-09-21T16:40:18.253-04:00The flavor of frostThis is a gorgeous time of year, the temperatures have cooled off, and the mosquitoes, blackflies, biting midges, deerflies, and horseflies have disappeared with the heat, which makes a huge difference in our ability to enjoy the garden, and outdoor activities. We even had our first stargaze in quite a few months, dreaming up at the night sky without being eaten alive!<br /><br />We did have our first major frost on September 9th, dawn broke to a dusting of fine white frost over the garden and fields. But we were prepared, and had covered the tender crops: peppers, tomatoes, ground cherries, a late basil crop, and even a pair of flowering fennel plants, hoping for some fennel seed. The frost spelled the end for the winter squash, pumpkin and cucumber vines, but the zucchini bushes showed real vigor, only burning the tallest leaves and not damaging the crown or small fruits. The last bean crop was also frosted, so we harvested the last of the green beans, and have been feasting on them, getting our fill of the fresh crop knowing it will be canned or fermented from now on.<br /><br />The frost also marked the end of our <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2009/06/market-garden.html">market garden crops</a>, which is more of a relief than a disappointment, we did as well as we could this year, and it is good to be able to focus all of our energies on our own harvest and winter preparation.<br /><br />The bulk of our tomatoes, tomatillos and ground cherries are just ripening now, so we will keep them protected from frost for another 3-4 weeks before bringing in the remaining green fruits to ripen indoors. So my tomato sauce, salsa and chutney canning fest has begun. I'm also drying some ground cherries, they make nice little "raisins" for baked goods, with that unique pineapple flavor.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381395185947786802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyy_Lkze6GzVVWkV6CUOFagRmqpQ5DSptJ0RP6LK1HxF5wO-M8LXvD6YOJlVx0jf6PWip1lQmfHwBkcINglwctHTiaUVXY84kil-h11UG1wQjbOvZdwIN_9pigXyl6nkozbAVldRmVqsN/s320/DSCN7106.JPG" border="0" /> The sunflowers have indeed bloomed in time to make seeds, I always forget how frost hardy they are. We are going to experiment with de-hulling the seeds this fall/winter.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnLBzmFZN3IxGLiAKWM9N1RfktlFrIFnNJPy_8HvPZ1nCPSgBPawZtUuBLXuos47L1fpCDhwWcumHR6iiPtYde_CZjEAKzvker7Rs-K7nORXrWcuZC6NEHXevoZLZK8DGhas3jPl0-Zej/s1600-h/DSCN7312.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381396905731013954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnLBzmFZN3IxGLiAKWM9N1RfktlFrIFnNJPy_8HvPZ1nCPSgBPawZtUuBLXuos47L1fpCDhwWcumHR6iiPtYde_CZjEAKzvker7Rs-K7nORXrWcuZC6NEHXevoZLZK8DGhas3jPl0-Zej/s320/DSCN7312.JPG" border="0" /></a> My own accidental hybrid <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2009/01/sweet-curry-kabocha-type-winter-squash.html">"Sweet Curry" kabocha type winter squash</a>, ripening in the dappled shade of the frosted vines. These will have to be brought in before the next frost, without the sheltering umbrella of leaves, the squash fruits would be damaged by a frost.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381395214687538322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGbcRRx8wFWDH-1k2ALR18NZkF_DF5cPnjaZvKxegSkhydfxZ_kobLTgviS7DXmFuyxI2FD9tUXI0Wc2wDkWpsAV3HXaVj_aPyHs2QiFPGqSXTix-WKOvxA_mciObOTCoBpAJc51e-rME/s320/DSCN7252.JPG" border="0" /> The <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2008/11/homegrown-popcorn.html">popcorn</a> is ready to harvest, the kernels mostly dried on the cob. I husk them right away, then store them in a large onion bag and let them continue drying for a few weeks before shelling the cobs.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381395201119742738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56lLLTG_hUxz1T0DTMZu3R4aOJValvRsaQC4nlzuxFNcFJ3YzleD7br5DVb3S1YUIHOfDjPlvdSfLyRU6JjSsNMj5eUpExJymExe4h8hVHX18b9XgKpHWtFxrWuhsSRNhvPfdK22l3lUX/s320/DSCN7228.JPG" border="0" /> A late summer fruit, <a href="http://foragingpictures.com/plants/Wild_raisins/">Wild Raisins</a> are ripening. They have a date-like flavor, but also like dates, have an unfortunate pit. My favorite way of making use of these delicious and abundant fruits is to put them through a food mill raw, and dry them as a fruit leather, they need no sugar this way. The pulp is also good added to applesauce, making an interesting applesauce variation.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381395204194761938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kL6fphFApttJ6bp8eknRjYGLbnH_JOS1QuSail9sZ1vb70vd7vUXJjkXqUVMzi0Qm4Mk_hHiDIMGOU2U-kSdl62rD7-MaBk4F5LrH2IyH8Hz-7aLlwi4BeKDdpgb9STuazaDGhB1FEOU/s320/DSCN7234.JPG" border="0" /> Of course, the local songbird population is also fond of these sweet fruits. This female Common Yellowthroat, of the wood warbler family, foraged in the same bush.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381395193611938738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-fns4EvOhNZG6SmUn5dmMF0JeL6m-r3kaAsUp4mvzRPB9M3HGW9rztJylnEOKw-_rUq-4TJbZ-OXs4dIEO3ntxTpyhRA-DNdfxhfjyyJ2ZnIkv9Q42IJH5A2CNDKI3umsskg5D6flsey/s320/DSCN7212+Common+Yellowthroat+Female.JPG" border="0" /> I got this lucky shot some time later.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381396885358676946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqRud6eItLJyb_jpeqpJN4_zGvXZ6ChM5QopBRyVCaEbIW8n2vh0rRYSkrw6yzHQyIwkkTQW_5707y6P4djtLKKNVzSxK4Vzgpa2sQFxQJethLshYzfaXtS7jyO9ikMOsV99lGW5fPkEF/s320/DSCN7293.JPG" border="0" /> I try to keep a profusion of late summer and fall flowers available for the insects. These flowering lettuce bushes would normally be a part of my seed saving regime, but we are going to start over with regionally appropriate seed varieties in our next garden, somewhere on the West coast, so these flowers are just for the bees. The last pollen producing flowers in the garden are the hardy broccoli flowers, I always leave the small side shoots to go to flower, they continue to bloom and attract bumble bees even after the ground starts to freeze, well into November, even early December.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381396875337320098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP4CsjZQ-aOxlRRW0vTWqS1SihRgRv3_CPXu7a3kPYfB5t-zn_PSyU6VUiaARh5EfLnknO5OMGlZY4BI5x3ECzQZk3I3RY0CNILJlPsR6-Pd2xOPBVS04o9QQ09q8Yc-EuJV4sHHyvwTl/s320/DSCN7279.JPG" border="0" /> A fennel flower, on it's way to seed, I hope. I started these fennel plants in March this year, determined to get some fennel seed from these slow-pokes, we'll see.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy_Ao-hUNt7SfQyHPf75FHD1Q1smLFJeB5ygTHXvu_QLqMXVk8ei3TDUN0ougVhwtiS30d2KJA8NX7112oeGBuPun-VyGvAHm8fT08nIVRnZPHxORrEmMUg2NIuaTIae7S20zdiPCkjo6/s1600-h/DSCN7299.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381396895664923778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy_Ao-hUNt7SfQyHPf75FHD1Q1smLFJeB5ygTHXvu_QLqMXVk8ei3TDUN0ougVhwtiS30d2KJA8NX7112oeGBuPun-VyGvAHm8fT08nIVRnZPHxORrEmMUg2NIuaTIae7S20zdiPCkjo6/s320/DSCN7299.JPG" border="0" /></a> The last of the Coriander flowers, my absolute favorite flower in the garden, they make a delicate bouquet all of their own.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381396896853657458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAieup2iZ4c0cimzo-n5VwstAMMtd4FsbuV8hM4g_6A__3nUTFzGOdNKcxtu-pger4ENKamfePtVo2p5Kw9ctU8C5Hnk5vfHYOI5q5icYUQVoDoYxvkg6Ax8gZCOElR7vHwyDf98dljFEu/s320/DSCN7304.JPG" border="0" /> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br />It's amazing that they become such homely clusters, which is likewise, one of my favorite spices. We're curry-aholics, and if you've never tried coriander in baked goods, replace it with cinnamon in a spiced cookie recipe for a nice delight.Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-66034161634315713162009-09-08T17:23:00.006-04:002009-12-08T14:49:18.329-05:00Harvesting grainsSeptember heralds a harvest of a different nature, with a quickened pace to match the flurry of spring planting. These two peaks of activity bookend summer's intermittent dance of advancing green, and dashing retreats from humid heat and biting insects. Summer's vegetable harvest are gathered gradually, in a steady sequence of ripeness, and the pantry fills in dribs and drabs. September wakes us from summer's never-ending dream, and reminds us that time is again short. The garden seems to remember snow and frozen ground, rushing for the finish line of ripened seed, and we scurry like squirrels to gather it all in, and store it safely away.<br />
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Nothing connects me more to my human inheritance than the grain harvest. The hard red spring wheat, our staple grain crop providing a year's worth of breads, pastas, crackers, cakes and cookies, was ready to harvest this last weekend. The tasseled heads rustle dryly in the wind, no green remains in the crop, the kernels thresh out easily between the palms of our hands, and the plump golden kernels are firm, not crunchy, but hard with a starchy gum-like center. We harvest our grains by hand, in the manner of peasants over 5 Milena. It is the very meaning of simplicity, and it connects us, in solidarity, to the millions of subsistence farmers around the world who are, I pray, likewise in their fields, gathering, threshing and winnowing their staple grain crops.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379211756115623490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAppwvfySveatGp764nAQP9ng3UzvVcTGZT8cxyV7njgFOR41x8Rsv1niHYmptq8lTeW-qcOv_OigQ0jYmTZIwCSQhVcU-and72RoFsVhLw5coqtJy7-uGgThYQXjyJTafNhMceC7RqYrs/s320/DSCN7164.JPG" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /> We experimented with a few hand harvesting techniques last year, and have come to settle on crude but effective, inexpensive kitchen knives as tools. Gathering a handful of stems, we cut the stalks near the heads, therefore bringing very little stalk into the storage bin. This reduces the amount of space needed to store the heads until we can thresh it all, and it also makes the <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2008/09/mr.html">threshing process</a> easier, with less stalk to clog the equipment.<br />
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On a larger, community grain scale, we have more appropriately scaled ideas for harvesting tools, including solar/electric small or two-wheeled tractors (re: <a href="http://solarcarandtractor.com/Home.html">link</a>), pedal or treadle powered threshers and harvesters, or biofueled walking tractor sickle-bar mower/binder (re: <a href="http://www.ferrari-tractors.com/smallscale.htm">Ferrari</a> scroll down to picture #3 for a close up of the harvester) and are quite keen to bring these ideas to a receptive community in our journey West.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379211747123425938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IlpBT89piTjR_oB5qqFM9xpQ5svX9-Q2QudTv1tP6I0-TicmcLp6NEwEOsZtNpWcDTVWiZUPdX62m5mBgJfgi-ookrxxfDa8ixy6K8-tHhqLFDzTDGGqDtD8psg1oTx0HNzhbfTCLMPX/s320/DSCN7169.JPG" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" />But for now, we find this simple and steady pace is not too arduous or time-consuming to make hand harvesting our wheat possible. Side by side, we can cover 2000 sq ft an hour, so we can bring in our 1/6th acre in six hours of work, spread out over 3-4 days. We fill large feed bags lashed to our sides, large enough so that the bottom of the bag rests on the ground, and no weight is placed on our backs. And we empty these bags into a prepared grain bin, 8' x 4' x 4'. This way, we can thresh the grains in November and December when the rest of the harvest and winter preparation has slowed down.<br />
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<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379211739118377746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewVAvLuMv13wRvxBydCB6FO3-uzgG2jrGPd2DAinUvnK_FCjtwaX0Ua6X4lWMZNLXs3ynVFPNzDvB8UBAtgiRSpUsU0SjlG0rLUXaN-b40W7ZQP2t_If2Nz1Su8l5Ky-GUiG42684uTf1/s320/DSCN7189.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /> And the quiet, meditative pace of the work allows us to share conversation and song, and the bond of working side by side. The greatest pleasure of harvesting by hand, rather than machine, is being able to witness the buzzing, hopping life in the midst of a sea of grain. These fire-engine dragonflies were mating on the bobbing heads, sparrows and wood warblers glean insects and seeds on the ground, grasshoppers catapult away from our sweeping hands, and the sky is abuzz with late summer song.<br />
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<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379215682758154818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjYIlT6P502nMZYpH4nVvbmoBdmrDylhv5pkXEDSZI0AR4tSgQvPut8ntZLqxu9gjNFKzN9zkTTCBx1RPaO6fUifFPTsvnWFiII6E_MkhGVSuCOCsHJYGaCATA6bmBvrLCYZBYaCTkf3K/s320/DSCN7136.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /> Our cultivated grains are not the only ones ripening. While thinking about the process our ancestors went through to begin sowing and selecting wild grains for their potential food value, my eyes began to scan for the ancient wild strains of our cultivated grains. In our garden we have these foxtail grasses, ancestor to a still cultivated foxtail millet from Asia.<br />
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<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379215691325089970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAag6-s14yjGFDbUlUCdJdg99xpDTahlCN1LQZsup4KWubmWvrl0HrF2xU-ZP0VWUTXWEov-C71ZK6_WkXIcohuHVhZsgxl6ZOfayjB22yA1v7yobQpg7kYBTIAR6OEonFqSKy-wVzaP5N/s320/DSCN7131.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /> As well as barnyard grass, ancestor to the proso millet we are growing. Both of these millet ancestors had been attracting small sparrows to the feast.<br />
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<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379215671131721954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPF3Jlvm53u9xobkksGG0SX6OpW9WMPouTMdxPCT3Z0OI1AvBW_gHId4JP6v6XTFuH4GnNyu8GdEkvjq8OQwPoddh1SNioZP0EVmm5GOIzyvJ7LL0MJORHokmvmb66v1SntZGYujtLfSDx/s320/DSCN7148.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /> This flowering seedhead of bindweed is ancestor to buckwheat, domesticated in southeast Asia 8000 years ago.<br />
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<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379211778569775250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPYcgA4Y1G6yz11RbM9ZheZ3Ocb5X3CTc6IFRMcW7GXcsZ3AJTpcoluGRLWmpVamhLClbM7TNvKCu5vnDMdz-OthL-fPBVF_ZHXUYjS7891HoZcOrc80OJhh_1lcYrJfhWsL3zA0qsUt2/s320/DSCN7159.JPG" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /> And this lamb's quarters seed head is close cousins with, and ancestor to quinoa, a valuable and important high-protein staple of the Inca who called it "mother of all the grains". Because of it's ceremonial use, Chrisianizing colonists forced the South American Indians to abandon this quality food for the less nutritious and water hungry corn.<br />
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<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379211768695566402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqUUHGf2b3mKxIJqvDRuTHWX3zqa8i_H2b0VnUcisqtdAzjp38TFFzuhW_I2x7KKxcBUoGwnwD11Dhp9r7nsW4BPlHeyEJsksfkDEuNclLEJFqH0IKLcLbQfa0yNVFgvlUEEhTjTTjjCA/s320/DSCN7160.JPG" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /> Our own proso millet was ready for harvest as well. The fan-like seed heads ripen gradually, from the top down. It is ready to harvest when the tops are ripe and the bottom grains have lost most of their green. Commercially, the crop is swathed and left to ripen in the field like hay. But it is often plagued by birds and rodents while ripening, and there was some competition for my crop as well. So I cut the heads and let them cure in the house, in a dry warm spot for a week or so.<br />
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<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379215692419102338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfjhr7yaQE8UBqapf_Wzu_R_y97YzKzbt2LwSjBfEp-GbGrA0Clw_QP6_7DMG8RBonMzuhLn7teCCdeP8Y3GupSGCixzFkf_skQSzWI_t0rYrNZmPy9zhgWnDcYFKg-Rk1v1f_KBdCxlC/s320/DSCN7122.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" />The hulless oats, originally domesticated relatively late in the Fertile Crescent beginning 3000BC, were likewise, mostly cured, but with a few remaining green-tinged heads. Since it is a small crop, and many of the head were beginning to lodge (or fall over on the ground), and the birds were beginning to pay it some attention, I harvested a week early and finished curing it indoors. The oats are easy to strip off the stalk, and with a small crop, it can be done quickly and efficiently.<br />
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</a>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-60798077883221508052009-08-31T14:44:00.008-04:002009-08-31T15:59:34.799-04:00August frost!An August frost snuck up on us this year. Not too surprising, we did have a frost warning on July 8th this summer, for goodness sake! With an early June frost in the tally, it seems we were only graced with a full 86 frost-free days this season. That's a pretty big swing from last season's 126 days. Thankfully, not much was damaged in this August frost, so here's hoping for a couple of warm weeks to finish up the season!<br /><br /><div>It got down to about 4C/39F the morning of August 29. At first glance, it appeared that there was no damage, but we do have one mysteriously frost-prone stretch in the garden. Potatoes were planted there this year. It is only slightly lower than the rest of the garden, maybe 4 inches, but it also gets some of the earliest sunlight in the morning, and it is the action of the sunlight on the ice-crystals that burns the leaves. Plants can be surprisingly tolerant of light frost, as long as the frost melts before the direct sun hits the leaves or fruit. I have seen ice coated squash leaves that suffered no frost damage, because clouds rolled in before the sun came up, allowing the ice to melt without damaging the leaf tissue.</div><br /><div>The potatoes in the frost pocket were not burned, but some over-eager winter squash vines had started rambling over the potato patch as the potato tops die-back in preparation for harvest. And these errant squash vines got their tender tips knocked back like naughty fingers reaching for the cookie jar. Besides these frosted vines I only found some frost damage on a few basil plants and poppy leaves. No major loss, just an early surprise!<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376201458049810386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4Kl5W621fDEoqdBBW5TsRTjVzc-KTy91MepctyeeTfB_qXpcDjsZRC5SQ5XcnfGRhko1qFMQKo1HDLxEVjotU6qL1W_oDyHw-_-5olsqfc7qo5N0w9PmUQNB5uRKMlb39eQE-bIeKh-K/s320/DSCN7087.JPG" border="0" /></div><br />To keep this spring's tender pepper and tomato transplants warm, we lined the rows with hay bales on either side, and never did move them due to the cool summer temperatures. So they are still there to provide a warm pocket that will hold off early light frosts, such as this one. We provided the peppers with an added heat sink of rocks around the base of the plant. The rocks will help to radiate a bit of heat to keep the nightly temperatures warmer. It might be just enough to get a few red peppers this year, though I'm just as happy with the green ones. The rocks also help support the stems of these heavily-laden pepper plants during hurricane season.<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376214993884797330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuMk12DrK1_HQEOgls3mmYBtKecFNKI4CvZ1BRDF8nlLpDHr1vyLpTuqpg7ELg651FcC8rumUIjDFWdGt_tzeRWgm3qQM5pACJKIf3fyBlU47bbCXl5HxcxXydBjKHSYgWTtWSY_H5AL9/s320/DSCN7063.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPSWGBxZasfwDULAjdMvLVPcfYlM8IipGYYyjdzMWuBKqSSpU-u2VAtxnPY4hwAXhHU2WzBfmuiHYJDPBsWPZlz5_AjRsEeRNvjco5sZknoIz5jClKMYgn7_PnYH26TZHCcU2tq656FYH/s1600-h/DSCN7065.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376201469241777330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPSWGBxZasfwDULAjdMvLVPcfYlM8IipGYYyjdzMWuBKqSSpU-u2VAtxnPY4hwAXhHU2WzBfmuiHYJDPBsWPZlz5_AjRsEeRNvjco5sZknoIz5jClKMYgn7_PnYH26TZHCcU2tq656FYH/s320/DSCN7065.JPG" border="0" /></a> The yearly fall migration has begun, and the frosty mornings remind us that winter is nearing. <br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSkdRuyalPPSNmIzFq7rtBrS8B-ZK4HTRH5DUFXPtFdb5qb9Oumas5L5iPzl_HZEyuJDrGZei7GjfNC0lQeolmksWRB00cDQPvkFeS9bVAdkbK-hiMKQYxemk4Rzv-TazxUigk9IXiW6C/s1600-h/DSCN7091.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376201458732432194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSkdRuyalPPSNmIzFq7rtBrS8B-ZK4HTRH5DUFXPtFdb5qb9Oumas5L5iPzl_HZEyuJDrGZei7GjfNC0lQeolmksWRB00cDQPvkFeS9bVAdkbK-hiMKQYxemk4Rzv-TazxUigk9IXiW6C/s320/DSCN7091.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div></div></div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-81474867963898872272009-08-26T12:14:00.005-04:002009-09-21T16:41:09.399-04:00Tomato (or Otherwise) ChutneyI found a most delicious tomato chutney recipe, of East Indian inspiration, in an April 1981 Organic Gardening magazine. I modified it slightly, it's great fresh, served with a summer vegetable curry and cooked grain, and I have no doubt it would be great canned as well.<br /><br />I do love chutneys because they are so malleable. You can use just about whatever you have on hand. I made an apple, tomato, green pepper and dried blueberry chutney last year that brightened up quite a few plain winter meals. The fruit ingredients in just about any chutney can be altered, the recipe inspiring the concoction above called for sultanas, and I substituted our dried blueberries with delicious results. Just keep the proportions the same and use your own varieties of garden or local produce for your own regionally specific chutney.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjxTgnT8nMLpVBCNKgUay7SOmCWyeBNq0RvBnZNNQ6ZgZbMCtOidPxmXXD8cVtM9g1nXBCbJOEzjE5y-beA2jAggjRDj3cRKGh1XIe3GxqVD8aA57dFFnDpCgQVE61sK41fYijAzi8LoH/s1600-h/DSCN6976.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374307382115397458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjxTgnT8nMLpVBCNKgUay7SOmCWyeBNq0RvBnZNNQ6ZgZbMCtOidPxmXXD8cVtM9g1nXBCbJOEzjE5y-beA2jAggjRDj3cRKGh1XIe3GxqVD8aA57dFFnDpCgQVE61sK41fYijAzi8LoH/s320/DSCN6976.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Tomato (or Otherwise) Chutney</span></div><div>8 large fresh tomatoes (blight sufferers can substitute tomatillos or ground cherries or other fruit, such as apples, or fruit and green tomatoes equal parts) </div><div>1 small medium-heat Hot Pepper</div><div>1 medium Sweet Pepper (green or otherwise)</div><div>1 medium onion </div><div>2-3 cloves garlic</div><div>2 Tbsp minced ginger (or 1 tsp dried ginger powder)</div><div>1 1/2 tsp whole mustard seed</div><div>1 tsp fennugreek seed (can substitute fennel or anise seed)</div><div>2 tsp turmeric powder</div><div>1 1/2 tsp paprika powder</div><div>salt to taste</div><div><br /></div><div>Quarter or dice tomatoes or fruit, finely chop onion, peppers (remove seeds for milder flavor, or include them for extra heat), garlic and ginger. Set aside.</div><div><br /></div><div>Heat heavy-bottomed sauce pan with 3 Tablspoons Olive or vegetable oil on high heat. When hot, nearly smoking, add mustard seed and fennugreek seed. Continue to heat until mustard seeds start to pop, remove from heat and add powdered spices (turmeric, paprika and ginger if using powdered). Let the spices heat through, but do not burn (about 1 minute). Return to medium heat and add minced onion, garlic and ginger (if using fresh), stirring frequently until onion is golden brown. Add minced peppers, heat through, stirring to blend flavors. Add tomatoes or fruit and cook until softened. A pure apple chutney may require some liquid like apple juice, cider or cider vinegar, or other fruit or citrus juice. Salt to taste.</div><div><br /></div><div>This recipe makes about 2 pints. If making larger quantities for preserving, multiply as desired. For conversion, remember 3 Tbsp = 1/4 cup. Oil can be reduced to 1 Tbsp per pint if desired. Process in a boiling water bath, 10 min pints, 15 min quarts.</div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-79491241795921068222009-08-24T14:49:00.005-04:002009-08-24T16:31:25.295-04:00Fungal diseases in the gardenWith the incredible rainfall we've had here in the east, there's been ample opportunity for fungal diseases in the garden. The late blight epidemic, affecting tomato and potato crops, is an example, although blight is not technically a fungus it responds to the same cool wet conditions. Fortunately, we have no signs of blight in our nightshade crops this year, which led me to ask the question why? What did we do right? In asking this question, I also did some research on a few new (to me) fungal diseases, and what led to their introduction into our garden.<br /><br />As far as late blight is concerned, I believe the two most important measures of prevention were quality, uninfected seed, and rotation. I've saved my own tomato seed for three generations, and each year I follow the method of fermenting the seed pulp before washing the seed and properly drying it for storage. The <a href="http://www.victoryseeds.com/information/seedsave_tomato.html">fermentation process</a> promotes good germination, but it also destroys potential pathogens that can be harbored by the seed. Our potato seeds are put to the test by coming through a long storage period, proving that they are disease free. <br /><br />Second to quality seed in disease prevention, is rotation. It is best to maintain a 2-3 year rotation of crops, and whenever you are introduced to a new disease in your garden, it is important to research the alternate hosts of this disease. It can be surprising to find dissimilar crops can host the same disease, and often weeds will harbor and spread disease. Along with rotation, it is necessary to remove any plant residue (leaves, stems, roots) from the garden and properly compost the material before returning it to the soil.<br /><br />These two important factors certainly contributed to our garden's blight free status, despite the prevalence of blighted potato fields no more than 5 miles from us. Healthy plants will be able to withstand certain thresholds of disease, borne in on the wind and rain, so part of the story is plain good fortune that our crops did not succumb. But keeping the plants from contact with the soil can also prevent or suppress blight. So perhaps the layer of mulch we applied to the crops in mid-June hampered the incubation process, necessary to the spread of the disease.<br /><br />I always thought of carrots as a rather trouble free crop, once they are thinned and weeded, they generally take care of themselves. We've had some damage from Carrot Root Fly (or Carrot Rust Fly), but again, rotation and fall cultivation is usually enough to keep their numbers under control. This year I have been introduced to a fungal disease that affects the carrot leaves, Alternaria Leaf Blight. It affects older crops, later in the season after the rows have closed in, reducing air flow. Like other fungi, it thrives in cool wet conditions. But where did it come from, how was it introduced to our garden?<br /><br />Going back to my original statement, about the importance of quality seed, I realized that my first carrot seed saving venture was flawed. I had selected quality storage carrots to grow for seed last summer, but I had not read enough information about preventing the spread of disease through seed. Alternaria is most often transmitted through infected seed. And there is a simple method of treating seed to halt it's spread to the next crop. Many types of seeds, including the Cole family, lettuce, spinach, eggplant and nightshades, as well as carrots, can be treated in a hot water bath, for a specific length of time (see the <a href="http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3085.html">table on this link </a>for details). I have also read about using a hot water and cider vinegar solution, though it looks as though the temperature and length of exposure is the most effective measure of killing potential pathogens.<br /><br />The Alternaria leaf blight does not much damage the crop, especially at the later stages when most of the growth is complete. For the most part, it is a problem for mechanical harvesters, as the stems break off easily, leaving roots in the ground. The most damaging effect of this fungus is that is promotes the spread of damping-off in the soil. And I do believe that my last planting of carrots was cut back by damping-off. This could lead to potential problems for direct seeded crops and young seedlings in the future.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim05xVe_iQwdpDN0DJF19qccF5J66AUUjEpgpwvpWGzrtGLTe67FLyj-XksiCkXJpLyW5DWUcZrW8StpKR2EH7tgHZhG0QqjA2h_inPeRYicqFtMect4tjAYQ0ITR0_Ap0upb3RdlBQGpo/s1600-h/DSCN6936+Alternaria+Leaf+Blight.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373606602590753474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim05xVe_iQwdpDN0DJF19qccF5J66AUUjEpgpwvpWGzrtGLTe67FLyj-XksiCkXJpLyW5DWUcZrW8StpKR2EH7tgHZhG0QqjA2h_inPeRYicqFtMect4tjAYQ0ITR0_Ap0upb3RdlBQGpo/s320/DSCN6936+Alternaria+Leaf+Blight.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Alternaria Leaf Blight of Carrots</em></div><p>Cereal crops have their own biosphere of diseases, including fungi, bacteria and viruses. Most of these disease cycles can be broken by planting non-cereal crops in rotation, but some vegetable and legume crops can host cereal diseases as well. Developing resistant seed in cereal crops is an important and active area of agricultural research. Research labs around the world are constantly responding to new mutations of cereal diseases, breeding crops with genetic resistance, and making these resistant varieties available to many Third World countries whose farmers do not depend on fungicides for healthy crops.</p><p>We bought our Vicar Hulless Oat seed from a small independent seed producer, the seed is an heirloom variety, and granted, there are few options for purchasing small quantities of cereal seeds in Canada, so we hoped for the best. The description of the seed said nothing of disease resistance, and in the future, that will be a requirement in my seed purchases. Our Hard Red Spring Wheat is a modern, disease-resistant cultivar, proven in our climate, and it has withstood the variety of cereal diseases this year. The Hulless Oats, on the other hand, are peppered with Septoria or Speckled Leaf Blotch, a fungal disease. It can easily spread to other cereal crops, so our healthy crop of wheat, only 20 feet from the infected oats, has given me first-hand evidence of the necessity of disease resistant cultivars.<br /></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-g2IY-xclrsKpAxP_dAAhh7S8rQ4utJ-UIAUBP9WeELEvsx5AwwWyaC31zOKEvvyZgZBwPvgwTH_fuueZyqsGivjTsrBOtrMXh7uj2bIacTcw0Mr_5Tfotiu140BcknYBwx11kFSC1BBz/s1600-h/DSCN6944+Septoria+or+Speckled+Leaf+Blotch.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373606601541972194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-g2IY-xclrsKpAxP_dAAhh7S8rQ4utJ-UIAUBP9WeELEvsx5AwwWyaC31zOKEvvyZgZBwPvgwTH_fuueZyqsGivjTsrBOtrMXh7uj2bIacTcw0Mr_5Tfotiu140BcknYBwx11kFSC1BBz/s320/DSCN6944+Septoria+or+Speckled+Leaf+Blotch.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Septoria or Speckled Leaf Blotch on Hulless Oats</em><br /><br /></div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-57831119085922568782009-08-20T14:49:00.012-04:002009-08-21T11:45:15.574-04:00Too much beauty<div>There's just too much beauty in the garden, I simply must share...<br /><br /></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372121551962787250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtATFO6TqfzTJXskQtJDJUoOeO9IOq9j-_UQlBbk22JM9GiQZgtt-UHzU3fUWGtW2sTF8S0vI2_2tQjstlSH5NvauY6WTMIsRGsXamWHbReYwJlmeWnILYbVFSH1yOENOetzONeOYtcoj/s320/DSCN7053.JPG" border="0" />Syriphid Fly eating the nectar of a Calendula Flower.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvuD4Uyenep5QyntIC6UZIFFRJm4YgN2-CzSQiw79BCNuRMkySxTkdztIneK-2NDLt2vNgpVcX2YMiOx20sX_HPx33QyEeeTvueTc6ZS1ZfEnKafhW_4jwZ2I3fp9Bj82wIdZKIRGrvOG/s1600-h/DSCN6880.JPG"><br /></p><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372124699131905378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvuD4Uyenep5QyntIC6UZIFFRJm4YgN2-CzSQiw79BCNuRMkySxTkdztIneK-2NDLt2vNgpVcX2YMiOx20sX_HPx33QyEeeTvueTc6ZS1ZfEnKafhW_4jwZ2I3fp9Bj82wIdZKIRGrvOG/s320/DSCN6880.JPG" border="0" /></a> Northern Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens, this wet and soggy summer has been great for the frogs, never seen so many frogs and toads in the garden. Even found a young Wood Frog in the Zucchini. Plenty of bugs and slugs for them to eat this year.<br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372121577596889874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzi_JbsgJH3Al07SBGxJr9fAp-Rw81umNNT0ZaIwbXidlygux82xscz1eTiys0LvA9YQqSyegkyO1FaFf3VONjzK6aF9BXBJEU4H86JQgQssQJBbx87iOfl-N11oqt6PMh3LUaLfeEe6J_/s320/DSCN6983.JPG" border="0" /> Syriphid Fly tasting a Red Clover blossom. It's a great year for these Syriphid Flies too, there's dozens in the garden, the larva are predatious, often of aphids and other small soft bodied insects, but the adults are pure nectar eaters. And red clover is one sweet source of nectar. I use it as a natural sweetener in herbal teas.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzlXDJ1hso1l8Xk40ErW9YeC15vZRPrY0Pu6dhvc59F7J6pq-ve7-yYOWuOs_n_PkanHGYEeEfERY196e_KxoZF_bxCM3u5Ufwa0qzTaCg6mN6C7YrIKugmOmdW5SKlbwfovRfZsT-5ec/s1600-h/DSCN5676.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372124695134146066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzlXDJ1hso1l8Xk40ErW9YeC15vZRPrY0Pu6dhvc59F7J6pq-ve7-yYOWuOs_n_PkanHGYEeEfERY196e_KxoZF_bxCM3u5Ufwa0qzTaCg6mN6C7YrIKugmOmdW5SKlbwfovRfZsT-5ec/s320/DSCN5676.JPG" border="0" /></a> Unidentified big green caterpillar.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXQT7VIJVq_7c95YvH4cKobr-5CxkfOHcaE-0zhrxemjdPxznkZxZNya9cvLNHARfSYXHlHfMzVTrADno_PnNYVk1iZ9lFXKYAbkaOqZ8ounoQIEl0Lg_m2vLd8kuTnaapwusiYORlXLu/s1600-h/DSCN6710+Subfamily+Hesperiinae+-+Grass+Skippers.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372124687788027794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXQT7VIJVq_7c95YvH4cKobr-5CxkfOHcaE-0zhrxemjdPxznkZxZNya9cvLNHARfSYXHlHfMzVTrADno_PnNYVk1iZ9lFXKYAbkaOqZ8ounoQIEl0Lg_m2vLd8kuTnaapwusiYORlXLu/s320/DSCN6710+Subfamily+Hesperiinae+-+Grass+Skippers.JPG" border="0" /></a> Grass Skipper resting on the Betony blossoms.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPmoyNJthTN5HlydL4FZ5rFKhQ4XpiA3eqa-P4dEzC4LnFiIJGDF4mSxf50OLMsV3eL4rq__SFdWsduSJF6GVCbZNodtfBuwvpY1uX98K2bpWFfevSD7kXYv2ZE_ThBGPsTPYHW5oHow_/s1600-h/DSCN6765.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372124679630485266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPmoyNJthTN5HlydL4FZ5rFKhQ4XpiA3eqa-P4dEzC4LnFiIJGDF4mSxf50OLMsV3eL4rq__SFdWsduSJF6GVCbZNodtfBuwvpY1uX98K2bpWFfevSD7kXYv2ZE_ThBGPsTPYHW5oHow_/s320/DSCN6765.JPG" border="0" /></a>Ichneumon wasp tasting the Carrot flower nectar, an important parasitoid in the gallery of natural enemies in the garden.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYhsGEVcMwXjAkqb6kAfYpFFfRDXBf1_ogXgreG5w1lEZmz9gKjbG3Qlv1RICrTIugvbwWyF305ibJ8-RPwp8UMhwZzfIShwKnmYtfFeiQRFVTPkNnFEP3AnhH6Pm4fnY3ThCLniYT7nT/s1600-h/DSCN6855.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372124668470334498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYhsGEVcMwXjAkqb6kAfYpFFfRDXBf1_ogXgreG5w1lEZmz9gKjbG3Qlv1RICrTIugvbwWyF305ibJ8-RPwp8UMhwZzfIShwKnmYtfFeiQRFVTPkNnFEP3AnhH6Pm4fnY3ThCLniYT7nT/s320/DSCN6855.JPG" border="0" /></a> Marigold bloom.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiG8WrOOBEJSdRM8ZLbHO-9fTbvcOU6EorHJ-yKQK4l8vf0iA-JI05wfkQ2g-xwsVYT8JfJK7PKZ_m0ORgrZCLnfpnCxBZ9sCB6bAGQCITShgl-BljvdMN-s0aeQsf39VnUPx78Jr2GoYb/s1600-h/DSCN6970.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372121585747979250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiG8WrOOBEJSdRM8ZLbHO-9fTbvcOU6EorHJ-yKQK4l8vf0iA-JI05wfkQ2g-xwsVYT8JfJK7PKZ_m0ORgrZCLnfpnCxBZ9sCB6bAGQCITShgl-BljvdMN-s0aeQsf39VnUPx78Jr2GoYb/s320/DSCN6970.JPG" border="0" /></a> Skullcap flower spikes. A hardy perennial herb useful to support a good night's sleep, and also a graceful flower in the garden landscape.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAVgbVF5cyQxKBU24t9VruPkCsB04aU2gocpvs2GiNkLnG86jnir2EhtzdDb_mr9Fz-yfZQvTNFgwy4ncjK2TrZQRYi_S5A2Ay-fAYWinIFdPbMO1bjdZ-kNx3O9v7QwqAHOzE5GMQpJY/s1600-h/DSCN6995.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372121570124845474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAVgbVF5cyQxKBU24t9VruPkCsB04aU2gocpvs2GiNkLnG86jnir2EhtzdDb_mr9Fz-yfZQvTNFgwy4ncjK2TrZQRYi_S5A2Ay-fAYWinIFdPbMO1bjdZ-kNx3O9v7QwqAHOzE5GMQpJY/s320/DSCN6995.JPG" border="0" /></a> Grasshopper in the alfalfa. I've let my alfalfa bushes go to seed, after harvesting an early cut of leaves for herbal teas. The seeds for sprouting will be a great store of live food on our Winter menu. I just love the complement of colors in this image, the lavenders on the grasshopper highlighted by the alfalfa blossoms, the picture is a pallette of pastels.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelg5Z4ARtXutN7g3CnwqT1zhGiUw8QY5RQuq3E-UwidP_9M-FAih5XdGK0li3w6YNmrLBRCm_g5mk1mKbJXbEg3U2zqIcWqMENvc0iUHm9GBGgnmRnQLwev0myIU-ugacWGSmMrbS0dJ8/s1600-h/DSCN7021.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372121559802994498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 241px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelg5Z4ARtXutN7g3CnwqT1zhGiUw8QY5RQuq3E-UwidP_9M-FAih5XdGK0li3w6YNmrLBRCm_g5mk1mKbJXbEg3U2zqIcWqMENvc0iUHm9GBGgnmRnQLwev0myIU-ugacWGSmMrbS0dJ8/s320/DSCN7021.JPG" border="0" /></a> The mullein flower stalks do not fail to attract the highest concentration of bumble bees, day after day. And the bees sure are stocking up on pollen from this prolific bloomer. Not only do they fill their leg pouches with rich golden pollen, but their fuzzy bums get covered in the stuff. Pollination in action. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-61385125649983420752009-08-18T15:27:00.006-04:002009-08-18T17:01:56.829-04:00Growing small grains and seedsWe are growing some test plots of small grains and seeds in the garden this year. Mostly, these plots have taught me about the growing conditions of each crop, as well as the pests and diseases specific to each. We started with small seed packets last year, planting roughly a 3' X 3' bed of each grain or seed. The seeds saved from the first plot planted out about 500 row feet this year. Again we would be saving the seed, and would get some moderate harvests, along with enough seed to plant out a full sized crop to supply our needs for a year. That was the plan, of course, before we cemented our plans to move to the West coast next spring. It will be strange, and in some ways wonderful, to not be growing a garden next year, a sabbatical of sorts.<br /><br />Back to the grains, this year we planted 200' of popcorn (I've found that it makes a nice cornmeal as well as a popping corn); 100' of sunflower (we will be lucky to harvest any seed this year, still no flowers); 300' of amaranth (good mixed with cereals, and we are going to try it as a sprouting grain for winter); 500 row feet of millet (a good rice substitute); 500' of quinoa (an excellent protein and good flavored rice substitute); poppy seed here and there (the cutworms really got to them, so I kept re-planting wherever we had the space); 500' of hulless oats; 250' dry peas; 350' baking beans. <br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371388525860299282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiil4MCOkMRTodKHYEteOoO4HDckyeaYoJUgLz9Of1eQ9C6PryVWtQODugzKTJqJpljTh1XCCPnRajuYF1JgjQZqvkwB8sEzVkdCgWNaaNjHUS9dqcjkD8bmoSRvseQtVvDcVlebePHQF/s320/DSCN6938.JPG" border="0" />The cutworms preferred the amaranth, quinoa and poppies over the cereals like oats, millet or popcorn, so they may deserve some <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2009/06/cutworm-fence-protecting-row-crops-from.html">protection if cutworms are a problem</a>. The next time we grow these grains I would plant them in different soils, in a separate rotation. The cereal type grains (oats, millet, wheat) can be planted in newer ground, with few amendments, such as after turning in a cover crop. Dry peas and baking beans can be treated this way as well, although they do benefit from working a light layer of compost into the soil. The vegetable type grains (amaranth, quinoa, poppy) require fertile loose soil, with a high compost and humus content, and would benefit from the higher water retention in this class of soil as well. Popcorn and sunflower are heavy feeders and require rich composted soil as well. <br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371388500997940050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNL4Y_piQmcoU6YFy2WivTTr2XCU5SJMWBUbGAIC9G1xL3A8OCZDdKiuTtbNG_IVJsvlx1WjbLWRD2GebIbaV9oNSfaPfepyZPVOIUF3tKRX8hrg-dZiYOA5kDDLe2GkDGg5FCknaQnBw3/s320/DSCN6950.JPG" border="0" /> Golden Amaranth. The grains seeds are the size of sesame seeds with a high protein content of 16%. I am also testing each of these grains as possible feed grains for livestock, so the high protein grains are attractive. Amaranth greens can be eaten as a cooked vegetable when young, so plant thick, and thin the plants out to about 2' spacing (livestock will love the thinnings as well). This variety can reach 6-8' high. The seeds are good cooked in porridge, added to granola, added to breads or baked goods, and can be popped as a snack, or sprouted.<br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHPk-XOVBLcJEVgfg_cnTwtyD-Pt5Iv4DuhAf1c-HQWF9GaQM3wXTsohhcDjQPTbyH8vBpAXUvYzWvj69rvOEbgod_mzJ1pNwcb0oauNMWa0ywmWFXdzN4sWDmMLB_EBY3B2vYYMLgkZ5/s1600-h/DSCN6949.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371388511007713954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHPk-XOVBLcJEVgfg_cnTwtyD-Pt5Iv4DuhAf1c-HQWF9GaQM3wXTsohhcDjQPTbyH8vBpAXUvYzWvj69rvOEbgod_mzJ1pNwcb0oauNMWa0ywmWFXdzN4sWDmMLB_EBY3B2vYYMLgkZ5/s320/DSCN6949.JPG" border="0" /></a> Proso Millet. 12-14% protein content. Good potential for chicken feed, the seed heads are easy to harvest, and can be fed out whole, no milling or threshing required. We also enjoy cooked millet as a rice substitute, often using it in casseroles, or as a base under vegetables or curries. Highly drought tolerant, and ripens quickly in short seasons.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371388518447110018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJfjapDAtlJyyJVpLmYAGnDcPg9p-odlknEn-OuRRmtohCJ7iefW1ZhlCEqhzTB3jIy2f4nAw7lRD7CdKWAX5p41qTsATjC7DpZ2OZKkJ1AJa7K0Nv8Bgl8qWrN047MY-TMVkXPG9kED9/s320/DSCN6946.JPG" border="0" />Red Quinoa. At least 16% protein, and a whole protein at that, with all of the amino acids our body requires. It can be tricky to grow, seems to be more susceptible to drought, rust and aphids, and does not have the hardy characteristics of it's cousin Lamb's Quarters, which seems to thrive just about anywhere. It is also a longer season grain, and light frost will burn and kill seedheads.<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371388533501871970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALDV-0gq6qDgMd8MWECKhrEkjyxSyWT7UWL8qr5ICv0SAn-UIq97_IrX2hO49aLBllkrZpHcRIKWwnQyt-t9Qm7s1h0QUVWxVEyfmCL8Zk0P1R6jdcEZ86DWa2JuBmRRukLP3_8qNnhCP/s320/DSCN6944.JPG" border="0" /> Vicar Hulless Oats. Easy to grow and thresh for use in the kitchen. Similar growing requirements to regular feed type oats. We chose a heirloom variety, but it is not showing high resistance to rust, so in the future we would choose a more resistant modern variety. Only a few plants are as blighted as these ones, most of the crop will mature despite the rusted leaves, but it is not good practice to allow rust to develop in our garden as it will jeopardize our wheat crop. If we were staying for another season, we would most likely have pulled up all of the rusted plants and removed them from the garden.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371394374262892018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXPZOOoibB-FfYxI3p_pa2Bm22KalLV8x0if70gDrti-nm79Wuu5Q1whcAy2B5DItprMWTKFHN_T-f5SSjj4HlT9vQRBgsg8GT5uA1MN2Wb4OHP4MO_FJq1SNjuj8w6KkfZTHdKLudOFT/s320/DSCN6951.JPG" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNL4Y_piQmcoU6YFy2WivTTr2XCU5SJMWBUbGAIC9G1xL3A8OCZDdKiuTtbNG_IVJsvlx1WjbLWRD2GebIbaV9oNSfaPfepyZPVOIUF3tKRX8hrg-dZiYOA5kDDLe2GkDGg5FCknaQnBw3/s1600-h/DSCN6950.JPG"></a> "Popcorn" popcorn. Easy to grow, these plants only reach about 3' high, and produce 2-3 6" cobs. The cobs dry quickly in the ears, needing only a few weeks of extra drying time after harvest in northern climates.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371394366865600402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhLoEbW4-5c1k4eviJV7qLawBblCBYl6tZ4tqy2PndTVLwUwSKgamTCrZYjCgXdgmehyu1chh55294zoYuyStc2NmH_bgDcOhc8QpevDc5_gmMrn6HVMgkZFxbauiYj3U1NdnvPyYiWn6/s320/DSCN6954+European+Corn+Borer+(Ostrinia+nubilalis).JPG" border="0" /> But they do need protection from the European Corn Borer. I would like to try putting mesh bags over each ear, in the early stages of development, to prevent the maggot from damaging the kernels. Left as they are, with the biological controls of natural predators, they take about 10% of my crop.<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371394348896615698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyPQRc80RbuBsLKI6R9LGkLOs23ULOFWirG6lxy1FmtUfXSZixwiNNS6dbrMNs8aXYSUTF5jLOdGHfUTSumGaY7syQS2BZCOegeESdqZddAh8kiUWkyl1NEeQTZmuIfCNGVSapRZg8ihd/s320/DSCN6965.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>St. Hubert Dry Peas. Well worth growing your own split peas if you have the room. They dry quickly in the pod, and thresh out with ease. These grain peas cook down to a delicately flavored puree, as you would expect from split peas. They can also be ground into a high protein flour. Cracked, they would make an excellent livestock feed at 22-24% protein.</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371394360212104114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCVIYsCx8xkzJ7LVsc9XuV9yK4JyLZkeYOtHF07qyLTk-kJIos2a4kKCyxtOKiwLi3zqvQskW1ug0VF5fHEESbRjpnW1DFyF938n_Xgu4hKO86_XDglfkpHSZKqtqmsGK36erasPYsk6S/s320/DSCN6840+Pea+Moth+(Cydia+nigricana).JPG" border="0" /> The Pea Moth is the main pest of our pea crops, but they seem to prefer the higher sugar content of the shelling peas, and generally leave the dry peas alone. The dry peas are also more resistant to mildews, because they seem to mature and dry out before the long-fruiting shelling types.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371394351190794338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_LZRk-4ubqa-bE0VpstnyouPapo-bEkuvg6qoxN2XnLWsuki9qQmJ1rKlL1nBzdQq-lqBJTqBq0dLToa_McBGdF_0A0nUa09P76wNthAG3VEiUZfznLwtb_e_lErE1VjHwkcVxQp689X/s320/DSCN6962.JPG" border="0" /> Jacob's Cattle Baking Beans. A decent bush type baking bean. It's not the highest yielding type, but the beans are very good, smooth and flavorful.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371396036206811266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKQjE4ptyvaTCXTmRkq97gBREuz-KJJ5663frlwUYiEgSoRHe7Bs655Afioe6fqfx_1sX27MwSmd14NCOhcNjlGnwJCvFSU75acVVd9YlVYKZh_R3tfIu9Dtd3yqnsOUuiD_QrVVTFCR6/s320/DSCN6932.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p>Mauve-Flowered Poppy. I snuck a row of poppy seeds in with my flower and herb beds, where a cutworm fence protected them. The flowers are mostly done now, as the cosmos take over blooming. Poppy seed is easy to grow and easy to harvest and thresh, each plant produces 4-6 poppy flowers/seedheads. They dry out well within our short season, but must be watched for mildew in early autumn heavy rains. The stalks tend to fall over and could benefit from trellising or fencing.</p><p>Some grains and seeds we did not get around to trying include sesame seed, flax seed, chickpeas, soybeans and lentils. These can also be easily grown in the garden, and harvested for the pantry without the need of specialized machinery or milling.</p>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-61672813358990407032009-08-10T14:05:00.004-04:002009-09-21T16:41:52.075-04:00Fermenting in the gardenThe August garden is a delightful ramble of green. Hunting out the early fruits feels like a daily treasure hunt. Scraping a light layer of soil back, from underneath overgrown potato bushes, to uncover a few of the new crop. Parting the huge squash leaves to see how the winter squash are coming along.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368399806114201698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRMqC9cnwP7CZ2MZV6s6TgpqjKBTLRfYYb9Wk0r3BUWaLOQgFZi2WCis3QQ4FEoIn-A838GloMZN6A5qMwfKuTqrIpz-8me-BAMRycqk6b6sdX6y_4g1Iq4earuAOmQjPDhMC_Dk8ZISe/s320/DSCN6706.JPG" border="0" /><br />Lifting cucumber vines, anticipating the first crunchy fruits.<br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6U3xSG1zyGDaBxEJQAfVEVyykZH4kBnGwOD-jEFGXRsGT76zFu2oO-5Hy-Lh-GXTw2YA0PrYkUaNji2FAD-trc2_aMp38A277yMssGoFo-WvQzDS5RlymANqqGBFen44EXrhSWVHWvjO/s1600-h/DSCN6511.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368401066338353234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6U3xSG1zyGDaBxEJQAfVEVyykZH4kBnGwOD-jEFGXRsGT76zFu2oO-5Hy-Lh-GXTw2YA0PrYkUaNji2FAD-trc2_aMp38A277yMssGoFo-WvQzDS5RlymANqqGBFen44EXrhSWVHWvjO/s320/DSCN6511.JPG" border="0" /></a>Daily visiting the zucchini bushes, never disappointed with a harvest.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuzTV8IqdhgJOvxWvH4dyp-JzlGF78zjMFlPM9pX7wY8S9XfAfJsRBv6mk4p3phHZYhXefACOn3OkR42RDY6ONs69qqE_-yaVRiZfVIteODfc3idd4bXuT0EXIvpNY5CqjEd6F1ki0A2l/s1600-h/DSCN6522.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368401059227939234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuzTV8IqdhgJOvxWvH4dyp-JzlGF78zjMFlPM9pX7wY8S9XfAfJsRBv6mk4p3phHZYhXefACOn3OkR42RDY6ONs69qqE_-yaVRiZfVIteODfc3idd4bXuT0EXIvpNY5CqjEd6F1ki0A2l/s320/DSCN6522.JPG" border="0" /></a> Peering into the thick of the massive tomato bushes for a spot of red.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hpt7WvWRFfPv1doUpNbUlXE_jpayQTccnsp-r4UGT3sKZRQ7PXOetzVAc8TD_Cq9w6AV5TIpTWQaLNEiSJF4YZ57xU98WsZ6IISpTBEf56AKBOxo8Dn7V1VC67_MHSqW3WY6ga0jUrhK/s1600-h/DSCN6538.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368401056401057618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hpt7WvWRFfPv1doUpNbUlXE_jpayQTccnsp-r4UGT3sKZRQ7PXOetzVAc8TD_Cq9w6AV5TIpTWQaLNEiSJF4YZ57xU98WsZ6IISpTBEf56AKBOxo8Dn7V1VC67_MHSqW3WY6ga0jUrhK/s320/DSCN6538.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>Eyeing the peppers for any signs of color change.</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368399809448619394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW2iwRysbsUwazEMSpXUZti7_Uw1A3BoY2FGR23uzLfJkpfl9LbJhcwwCcYTreik4BNx1KG6Ro11M2zOKJdMj2rLjw_zYCrgUnlAJ9T7yfxmpZVPsDpiaJR5xMiMHoVfSaXlCpxFoFU7O/s320/DSCN6639.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>Snapping off the first tight heads of broccoli.</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368399816151433938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVn5d2VhMQaa_DtOJmDKd2nI586O8j1XWTiFMTfwkjnssWhyphenhyphenfG4O7KrkqdxLIlKkjQZnNycifKUea6Pa6XztYg7F6G8lQ0n5EiCGK2tNgfjEIRSvMpb6nmEDUPKEs-ilXjRWLPcgPnKeJ/s320/DSCN6553.JPG" border="0" />Protecting the newly forming heads of cabbage from worm damage.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrJeNdfdZG-f4yogJpo0WBTvi9bJhcmz1k6mPUGJ-EeVtcZuZGyKNoxd6UoDKDGv1ZHttQIgjcK986HKn_s8Db6hxbpwjJZodR4YbUuiJsImYazSpUjAh-uONDHOiKY5J3NLiNACAc0es/s1600-h/DSCN6544.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368399824267075522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrJeNdfdZG-f4yogJpo0WBTvi9bJhcmz1k6mPUGJ-EeVtcZuZGyKNoxd6UoDKDGv1ZHttQIgjcK986HKn_s8Db6hxbpwjJZodR4YbUuiJsImYazSpUjAh-uONDHOiKY5J3NLiNACAc0es/s320/DSCN6544.JPG" border="0" /></a>There is a variety and abundance on the table that we haven't experienced since last year's fall harvest. Each meal is a celebration of flavor and accomplishment. And for every meal laid on the table, ten are put up for winter. Besides the usual canning of pail after pail of green beans and shelled peas, I am experimenting with <a href="http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=vegetables">lacto-fermented vegetables</a>. Why wait for the cabbages, when really, just about any vegetable can be fermented? Fermented vegetables make a nice addition to the winter fare, still crisp and full of flavor and vitamins and minerals that the pressure canned vegetables lack.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm trying peas first, using the recommended salt ratio of 1 pound for every 5 pounds of vegetables. But this really does taste a bit too salty to me, and the bubbling fermentation process has not started yet on the third day, so I'm going to add more peas. As you can read in the link above, the salt slows the fermentation process, and fermentation can be achieved with very little salt. But the less salt you use, the more risk of surface mold. The most important part of fermenting is to keep the vegetables well submerged below the brine. Some vegetables will produce their own brine, such as shredded and packed cabbage. The salted peas did produce some brine, but not enough to cover, so I added brine to the recommended proportion of 1/4 lb salt to a gallon of water.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRMqC9cnwP7CZ2MZV6s6TgpqjKBTLRfYYb9Wk0r3BUWaLOQgFZi2WCis3QQ4FEoIn-A838GloMZN6A5qMwfKuTqrIpz-8me-BAMRycqk6b6sdX6y_4g1Iq4earuAOmQjPDhMC_Dk8ZISe/s1600-h/DSCN6706.JPG"></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368401074347333234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J3drK_OK6t_eSttcvg8TmZgjw4zb_uncZjUqlQSC4XwPVX0AtQMvAn-mxrJSx9YqHg-vNCNxPdwvbXoktEPA4cG451f7ctTfV8sfX5og4FV9M-1SDppiy9LmZbZ0Nbc6ck3XCNZu0yY2/s320/DSCN6824.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368401078417191490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbAcVxbzKwknVVgXzceWeT6bc9GQGe6ndjA_qyg5FyjU0DDogDW9n8UzP2Q7xt0oNODkMmkFCQ6WbekYPFZtxngJZT3opAtxM9fGxSwaHzFpBZZme-bq3J0lA1aLPOWV11mGSBJFYzAf4/s320/DSCN6826.JPG" border="0" />The peas in their brine are covered with a clean towel, weighted with a plate and mason jar full of water. There's an inch of brine covering the peas. </p><p>I'll also be doing a dill and garlic cucumber crock, lacto-fermented pickles are crisp and wonderfully sour, compared to the limp boiled variety.</p>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-47080734108580500222009-08-04T14:55:00.009-04:002009-09-16T17:16:57.930-04:00Meta-predator meta-narrative: The portrait of a ladyLady beetles have been breeding like crazy in our garden this summer. It has been an education to observe their life cycle, from larva to adult, and it has been a pleasure to watch them flourish. I can only hope there are enough aphids in the garden to support them in their hundreds. We had a small window of about two weeks in the end of May when aphid infestations could be found in certain crops: in the wheat, quinoa and poppies primarily. But it didn't take long for the Lady Beetles to catch up.<br /><br />Here is the life cycle of the Seven Spotted Lady Beetle, our most numerous species: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gVtFnHhaXi7H7ym0pqwGab-3F7nLMYuq1PoTSYJYdUxifB6fjk2pnZkQE6Iv2RuSfaLoh6l9ODHQRrDDwvlh960Bm1zYthE36vW_9fJNufMELcYEEpTrvt7EE8AssJGEmgKfc2BRMI6K/s1600-h/DSCN5531+Coccinella+septempunctata+-+Seven-spotted+Lady+Beetle.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366209823556467746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gVtFnHhaXi7H7ym0pqwGab-3F7nLMYuq1PoTSYJYdUxifB6fjk2pnZkQE6Iv2RuSfaLoh6l9ODHQRrDDwvlh960Bm1zYthE36vW_9fJNufMELcYEEpTrvt7EE8AssJGEmgKfc2BRMI6K/s320/DSCN5531+Coccinella+septempunctata+-+Seven-spotted+Lady+Beetle.JPG" border="0" /></a> Adult, lays eggs in favorable sites.<br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqORBEuTyL7fXqk6-gnZfTBkCMXwk9T0TRWw5L2FbklRb3xL-XJwu1D24SggomHxWbMI0-fCYcFTZQwutut-AmLm5D5pleHwZ2gNzFs_jX44WWfCarZbkmxnsTmp1T5ZN1IecR0bp_0_v/s1600-h/DSCN6390.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366209812665833522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqORBEuTyL7fXqk6-gnZfTBkCMXwk9T0TRWw5L2FbklRb3xL-XJwu1D24SggomHxWbMI0-fCYcFTZQwutut-AmLm5D5pleHwZ2gNzFs_jX44WWfCarZbkmxnsTmp1T5ZN1IecR0bp_0_v/s320/DSCN6390.JPG" border="0" /></a> Larva, roams widely, preying primarily on aphids among other things.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366208746932380162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKbD5UkNfPaBFAm_3nqSCqWU-R-A9j4N3f641ovHq0WAKUln_gzmvyiQuXuw8AOvK1MXz8voOBJa-ZAduo09znEf16oCTecx1KyCQr1ZXua33R2PiAdNH_FXsemSqAW-NsB33LrBrrLu7/s320/DSCN6482.JPG" border="0" />Larva transforms into a pupa, and while attatching itself to a leaf, it does yoga exercises, stretching up to the sun, then down into resting position.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFKptJ_-Iop0BF6HtoSFmI4L2CfSkrad-_VQXAJ3_UZIjh601pkp_PVw502H2sQzEXrjBB_AOTe7dHvoCLQL0ZhQ_HfFcuvSa7cLCl6J4jEtRFjSXMvE3vz7plwfyZ1_IcRNM-n2DZHs3/s1600-h/DSCN6460.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366209803520828274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFKptJ_-Iop0BF6HtoSFmI4L2CfSkrad-_VQXAJ3_UZIjh601pkp_PVw502H2sQzEXrjBB_AOTe7dHvoCLQL0ZhQ_HfFcuvSa7cLCl6J4jEtRFjSXMvE3vz7plwfyZ1_IcRNM-n2DZHs3/s320/DSCN6460.JPG" border="0" /></a> The pupa turn from yellow to this color patterning and stay put, about a week, before emerging as adults.<br /><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366208713384385426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0PAvQi2UOkGMGpqQrXub7beRrwwCBUyrqAGcnsSMVYYPt3g_Yv2Lk5K-AbYtthW7vOG0Uub5CwnQ42WO74okWbI7qphNGq6O4rdZY_Tq4Ezar5rntahYi6hsdnHH7-z-3OqTR0-jJD3w/s320/DSCN6692.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>When pupation is complete, the beetle emerges...</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366208701979226610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67tFMQFWpYH5rTOdY2eGuog-jCV3FWdR47qpI4-tTi30FXDzJckYqblproSSaoUOz-C-AgkvMH0CE7BDlS-JXPCPfcLpQUp2rKs9_O73eEVb8EYdfCFtd6SteQjEScRFLHvBcBeg1Vlpu/s320/DSCN6704.JPG" border="0" />yellow and tender as a newborn.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUu5Lm7VySf5bfsYOfJZ1H8b2Nt9ZT6enSXheczTYCvQJSOSGsKP5R13Knlr0401qPWcrggwQGMKOVEmVAR8hhspCihX3PAcQQc59rbpvgW2ISR35mjr6WMiZ5AuOdsqIiSNyoO0T8jvl/s1600-h/DSCN6671.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366208736336731170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUu5Lm7VySf5bfsYOfJZ1H8b2Nt9ZT6enSXheczTYCvQJSOSGsKP5R13Knlr0401qPWcrggwQGMKOVEmVAR8hhspCihX3PAcQQc59rbpvgW2ISR35mjr6WMiZ5AuOdsqIiSNyoO0T8jvl/s320/DSCN6671.JPG" border="0" /></a>They seem to hang around the pupa casing until their shell begins to harden, trying out their newly acquired wings.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDX1k3lKO4tXhZAozIHug3sxbuyNThHk3tSdCB7vLtcr7KUVFCkF95A2KDtzefBA_AMkkWyWjuirqMQuAfOeYUJTnuA_cysUGMRRK-uOkp7xQKMhTq0omxKDAiXT1yb17-RHGKsJgHk0dy/s1600-h/DSCN6681.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366208726144844626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDX1k3lKO4tXhZAozIHug3sxbuyNThHk3tSdCB7vLtcr7KUVFCkF95A2KDtzefBA_AMkkWyWjuirqMQuAfOeYUJTnuA_cysUGMRRK-uOkp7xQKMhTq0omxKDAiXT1yb17-RHGKsJgHk0dy/s320/DSCN6681.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>Just about the time they get their spots and start to turn from yellow to red, they abandon the dried casing, striking out into the garden for food.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366943579810126386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUz4UB8NKwql6bB5G1Acv4qmLdxrT3AzqIFSm1QY18z48B7oVCMKW_DLKhrjtwTina86DH0bJhube4mSaOJW9uAxr5IG-yGH9tSZWzMSn7HymqFDAYUay5wal2SRkNKjOllxklssOZgxHA/s320/DSCN5966.JPG" border="0" />Aphids on a wheat stalk.</div><div><br /><div>The balance between predator and prey is never static, population densities are always changing, typically following a pattern of alternating boom and bust. In the biological study of ecological communities, it has been observed that when prey populations spike, it will trigger a population explosion of predators, who will typically over-extend the limits of their food resources. Prey species will dwindle, followed by dwindling predator numbers. It's like a game of tag, predator population density seeming to lag behind. As I've mentioned before, it is this lag time that we, as gardeners, must make up for, keeping pest populations under control until the predators can catch up, and either take over for our job, or more typically, complement our efforts to keep pests in balance. And even trickier a gardener must allow enough pest/prey species to survive in order to encourage and support the lagging predators, without letting pests get out of control, damaging the food crops and exponentially exploding in the next generation. It is this balance that I am learning, and observing as I watch the relationship between the aphids and the Lady beetles in my garden.</div><div><div><br /><div>Recent biology studies into the relationship between predator and prey have revealed some counter-intuitive interactions. The first study I heard (on a radio science show) on this topic, looked into the re-introduction of wolves into parks where they had been locally eradicated for decades. It was thought previously, as it would seem by my description above of the cyclical tag game, that the predators in any given area were a result of the number and type of prey in that area, and that the prey were a result of the availability and abundance of forage. So it was surprising for biologists to discover that it is the predator who largely shapes the landscape, and not the other way around.</div><br /><div>To summarize the study, in the absence of predators, the elk and deer had browsed un-harassed, and therefore had selected feed and feeding areas along waterways and streams, to the point where young willows and other trees were grazed down, and stream banks were beginning to erode, and in some places, even dry up. Without predators, the herds grazed the land in different patterns, effecting the landscape and the flora. When the wolves were re-introduced, herds had to return to grazing in open landscapes where they could remain watchful. They shied away from dense clusters of trees, and only approached more exposed waterways where they could stay alert to the ever present danger, minimizing the sites where they entered the water. In a matter of years, the willows regained the stream banks, held the erosion, and kept the waters cool and flowing for the fish and amphibians. Grassland, and meadows started to open again, and clusters of young trees were allowed to grow into forests, supporting the diversity of birds, each of which depend of a specific variance of habitat.</div><br /><div>This first study into the impact of wolves on the ecological community from which they had previously been evicted, led to further studies into the impact of predators on the landscape. A study into the impact of spiders on the flora of pastures and meadows revealed the same counter-intuitive result: the presence of spiders changed the feeding habits of insects, which selected for certain plant species that would otherwise be grazed down by herbivorous insects. So perhaps we have the tag-game inverted, and should rather look at it as predators in the lead, with prey species fitting into the spaces where they can best survive, and the landscape as the result of this interaction.</div><br /><div>It is interesting to think upon a gardener as a sort of meta-predator in the garden. The landscape, or garden, is the direct result of the gardener's selection of insects and varieties of plants. All other predators are there as guests and allies, dependent on the gardener for prey and habitat. I can see this type of relationship in my garden, never more so than when I hand-pick certain pest species. Patrolling the garden every day for Colorado Potato Beetles and larva, and Imported Cabbage Moth caterpillars, I feel very much like a predator. These are the two pests in my garden that are both visible and can be easily hand-picked, and both can do a lot of damage to foliage if left unchecked. And because I have daily observations of the pest populations, I am also able to observe the populations of predators, which leads me to learn more about enlisting and encouraging the specific predators. This kind of daily observation also teaches me a lot about the life cycles, and seasonal cycles, of these insects (or avian, amphibious and reptilian predators).</div><br /><div>I sometimes see my job in the garden as Ecological Wildlife Management. I try to keep things in balance, using a variety of techniques such as row cover and physical barriers, but the most effective techniques are preventative and supportive. (I find the same is true for our own physical health as is true for the garden health.) Prevention techniques revolve around proper rotation, and often require it, for example, in my second year of gardening, I put row cover over a spring crop of radishes to protect from Flea Beetles, but had not managed my rotations correctly. Not yet understanding the life cycle of Flea Beetles, I quickly found that the first generation of Flea Beetles emerged from the soil, under the row cover. I have never yet used an insecticide, and will continue to view it as a last result. Insecticides, including the Organically acceptable plant derivatives, resemble anti-biotics in their inability to distinguish between harmful pests and beneficial insects. And insecticides work against any supportive measures to encourage an intact biosphere of beneficial predators and their prey.</div><br /><div>A garden invites intimate interactions with the garden ecology. While reading a 1977 Organic Gardening and Farming magazine, I came across an article written by a woman who understood this intimate relationship. She had been handpicking Hornworm caterpillars from her tomato plants, and stomping them underfoot, when she came across a parasitized caterpillar. She left this one to hatch out the parasitic wasps inside, but was inspired to collect the rest of the caterpillars into a tall bucket. She left the bucket in the garden, and continued to collect and feed the pests. The parasitic wasps had access to an abundance of hosts, and it did not take long before she was hatching out dozens and then hundreds of beneficial wasps.</div><br /><div>When I walk through the potato patch and find more Lady beetles and larvae than I can find Colorado Potato beetles, I look at that as the best crop insurance that money can't buy. The toads and Garter snakes have provided the same invaluable crop insurance against slugs in the market garden this year. With 20 inches of rain between June and July, our garden would be overrun with slugs if not for these hungry predators. And I am happy to report that Lady Beetles will continue to find other sources of food when the aphids run short, including the eggs of moths and other beetles, and small invertebrates, which may explain the dramatic reduction in hatching Colorado Potato Beetles since the Lady Beetle population has exploded. I am beginning to find them in the Brassica plot, hoping they will find the Imported Cabbage Moth eggs to be a tasty treat, between the occasional aphid meal.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-85686493837858999782009-07-28T12:59:00.008-04:002009-07-28T13:39:08.041-04:00Busy as a beeBeen canning and harvesting for the market garden this week, so I'll leave you with some pictures from the garden.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznuEMxhIzKMhBfwWAfa_kAEsXsr-ZhYA6cCcmllN657-fEQjPYHd3A7Zn5qhKa8oHn5dSsjVMZuWXP45zlujbuwpD40UvdGB4urAKGXvFJ_8G0I_ZsPtlP5mmw9jfxMeV8GAzLm2hVw8_/s1600-h/DSCN6372.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363562366303383234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznuEMxhIzKMhBfwWAfa_kAEsXsr-ZhYA6cCcmllN657-fEQjPYHd3A7Zn5qhKa8oHn5dSsjVMZuWXP45zlujbuwpD40UvdGB4urAKGXvFJ_8G0I_ZsPtlP5mmw9jfxMeV8GAzLm2hVw8_/s400/DSCN6372.JPG" border="0" /></a> Bumble bees are in abundance this summer, busy pollinating the garden. This one was snoozing in the Meadow Sweet, beauty rest.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRpWSNLSxXuhRlbqI4U0c2Rt4KUvXj-oFAP5JHsyeIW6nUdB0CvEGVaFre4N-Tge11XSQHM6uwvF4bc_QoHc-_bvPFn3TXo0t3fq_kHWLdWNImLh6K5KAWWMWJen0B1Btj0ILKkNtAkqt/s1600-h/DSCN6419.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363561922464682402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRpWSNLSxXuhRlbqI4U0c2Rt4KUvXj-oFAP5JHsyeIW6nUdB0CvEGVaFre4N-Tge11XSQHM6uwvF4bc_QoHc-_bvPFn3TXo0t3fq_kHWLdWNImLh6K5KAWWMWJen0B1Btj0ILKkNtAkqt/s400/DSCN6419.JPG" border="0" /></a> Some of my favorite predators. We have had more aphids this year than normal, never to pest levels, but it has kept the Lady Beetles eating and breeding in the garden. We have about 4 distinct Lady Beetle species, and each look distinct in their larval stage as well.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5isF-KhyOPj5YI9M865-H_gJnqSg2SDthnINsQx9ZlrN3dx-5C9EKpUdBre_kmwZMPmcQ7n24C7BpA66daNYE9YPDE-noXF-y2XdhjiD-M-cHRndT-XbXeeMYKKRWycF28_Kr1h61huC2/s1600-h/DSCN6390.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363561915334221666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5isF-KhyOPj5YI9M865-H_gJnqSg2SDthnINsQx9ZlrN3dx-5C9EKpUdBre_kmwZMPmcQ7n24C7BpA66daNYE9YPDE-noXF-y2XdhjiD-M-cHRndT-XbXeeMYKKRWycF28_Kr1h61huC2/s400/DSCN6390.JPG" border="0" /></a> I think this is the Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle larva, the commonly recognized red beetle with seven black spots.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFn_PvbueYhzKWsetir1o5uc-1NLagpsKggB7v6zf8UhA7aPLQ790ysA1wjVWyxb-a5CN7jazyaGzQYntFQDgkFFaTy1urGkzIih5rIFP57N4aQgH448PilWnb0kHqoYuhyphenhyphen4VjzMS81oX/s1600-h/DSCN6356.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363561914596753906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFn_PvbueYhzKWsetir1o5uc-1NLagpsKggB7v6zf8UhA7aPLQ790ysA1wjVWyxb-a5CN7jazyaGzQYntFQDgkFFaTy1urGkzIih5rIFP57N4aQgH448PilWnb0kHqoYuhyphenhyphen4VjzMS81oX/s400/DSCN6356.JPG" border="0" /></a> The blooming of the carrot flowers always seem to hearald the first Tachinid flies of the season. Welcome.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOp88IcC3qPhmz7bL2kaMEHHLIvUeDP_K_uVGwGLCbwPlKZflFOcyFJaXauDmw7NLBHIfymmv8gaeEsJSGKokpr9AqawEvbr9m06pkgqlLup6TCq_ujyF39DoeQhWsUQrtcVq1-eJeUYB/s1600-h/DSCN6304.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363561909552255250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOp88IcC3qPhmz7bL2kaMEHHLIvUeDP_K_uVGwGLCbwPlKZflFOcyFJaXauDmw7NLBHIfymmv8gaeEsJSGKokpr9AqawEvbr9m06pkgqlLup6TCq_ujyF39DoeQhWsUQrtcVq1-eJeUYB/s400/DSCN6304.JPG" border="0" /></a> And this is the first Green Lacewing I've seen in our garden, probably due to the attractive numbers of aphids this year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xDxdDmq75jIgWsld8x1rf1wJkksIXPmSpTAeuL6KW-v06fPFLA48-wkLCpIP8e2r9ALBfF-sSvCDhqqjOhCj5pGRhHicsyNIY6_xTY1h7dvZ-5KMhIcZAnG0oecfUB-ojALMOPllfRru/s1600-h/DSCN6348.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363560216734375618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xDxdDmq75jIgWsld8x1rf1wJkksIXPmSpTAeuL6KW-v06fPFLA48-wkLCpIP8e2r9ALBfF-sSvCDhqqjOhCj5pGRhHicsyNIY6_xTY1h7dvZ-5KMhIcZAnG0oecfUB-ojALMOPllfRru/s400/DSCN6348.JPG" border="0" /></a> Syrphid Fly, again in the carrot flowers. A welcome parasatoid.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbb8Ahl0z7U0Dxp8hz4J4bCBANV9CYwnFpxUNIRvuYwKvHF8dIW4-14hJOAXqQmCUUHjhPYVMs2FwlNG8Lp9fyigAIj80LgmIkVkGNF0xYoJn966nEmNcJsBLKatzz3aiiptlqbIhxNAO/s1600-h/DSCN6181.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363560211864127010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbb8Ahl0z7U0Dxp8hz4J4bCBANV9CYwnFpxUNIRvuYwKvHF8dIW4-14hJOAXqQmCUUHjhPYVMs2FwlNG8Lp9fyigAIj80LgmIkVkGNF0xYoJn966nEmNcJsBLKatzz3aiiptlqbIhxNAO/s400/DSCN6181.JPG" border="0" /></a> We also have a family of Garter Snakes in the hay bale shelter, originally left for the toads. Still plenty of toads in the garden, but there was one particularly fat Garter Snake that probably didn't get fat on slugs alone. Hopefully the snakes don't get all the toads! Both the snakes and the toads have been keeping the numerous slugs in check this wet summer.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8Biwb_D6KgNykCu-Ayy_y0TM4lP5ljDZ5BQW6_CAZbE09tZGDPO9fjj2GiKEfLhmlSOw2T6bYU6OB9IafJs875CIfwVwp9dz9mXYv6PsSuZvOeQQ_eNDjuK0Fu4EqgtmFx_yQOErU6nS/s1600-h/DSCN6327.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363560204198064418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8Biwb_D6KgNykCu-Ayy_y0TM4lP5ljDZ5BQW6_CAZbE09tZGDPO9fjj2GiKEfLhmlSOw2T6bYU6OB9IafJs875CIfwVwp9dz9mXYv6PsSuZvOeQQ_eNDjuK0Fu4EqgtmFx_yQOErU6nS/s400/DSCN6327.JPG" border="0" /></a> Our very own Fritillary visited our garden. Too bad it picked a rather ragged looking Cosmo flower for it's close-up shot.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-A91EN4eoZSSoloB5_H9JiPwm65p7C7dVASSBiwCeP1UR9euWcYe2EwBMdMCrycSwHT1Y8NGbspruc83OGe6__QiX4eMCHEvlpHz5anEYAKDL_3dhVQj4xbZJiB8xDYLEfHtudLn1uE5/s1600-h/DSCN6269.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363560193964611186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-A91EN4eoZSSoloB5_H9JiPwm65p7C7dVASSBiwCeP1UR9euWcYe2EwBMdMCrycSwHT1Y8NGbspruc83OGe6__QiX4eMCHEvlpHz5anEYAKDL_3dhVQj4xbZJiB8xDYLEfHtudLn1uE5/s400/DSCN6269.JPG" border="0" /></a> The Hollyhocks are blooming, and were buzzing with Bumble Bees this morning.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcn0AeXTAeeGsnXvt7PLCaClEn55FGdjEAiAVNoo4kmgVV6tMObFydvK_UGd86mGadCTJq27a_yQdc2oo_ndFSrEb5TCEyJe-UKXFuZSw-sYv4xNYVV-OskbysSSnGmbfZ03Qv3_-HJHrn/s1600-h/DSCN6373.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363560190239988306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcn0AeXTAeeGsnXvt7PLCaClEn55FGdjEAiAVNoo4kmgVV6tMObFydvK_UGd86mGadCTJq27a_yQdc2oo_ndFSrEb5TCEyJe-UKXFuZSw-sYv4xNYVV-OskbysSSnGmbfZ03Qv3_-HJHrn/s400/DSCN6373.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />As are the poppy flowers. Gorgeous to grow, and delicious seeds for the kitchen as well.Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-25501695459017410762009-07-23T13:42:00.003-04:002009-07-23T14:59:49.299-04:00Growing by degreesThe food cycle has finally reversed flow, there is more food coming into the house than we are able to eat... time to stock the pantry. Without a greenhouse, our stored food supplies need to last until the third week of July. It can be a struggle, and usually means relying on spring greens, grains, eggs and dairy for the better part of June and July after the last of the root crops and potatoes. And I always put away more than enough canned green beans to cover the gaps before those first glorious snow peas are ready in early July.<br /><br /><div>Although we planted each of these crops about three weeks earlier than last year, our first harvests are no more than a week to a few days earlier. I, of course, had my hopes up for a logical three-week-earlier harvest. But every season is unique. In doing some research, I happened across the phrase "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growing_degree_day">Growing Degree Days</a>". It is a unit used to measure or predict the first bloom or maturity of a crop, or the emergence of an insect or pest. Temperature is one of the most crucial elements in crop growth, and generally triggers most of the cycles of the insect world. And we have had an abnormally cool June and July. Especially July. Our nights have <em>averaged</em> at 10C (50F) instead of the normal 16-18C (60-65F). Only a few crops will continue to thrive with these nighttime lows, such as peas and Cole crops. Roots, onions and potatoes slowed down. And heat lovers: beans, tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers just hung around, waiting.</div><br /><div>Growing Degree Days can easily be calculated (go to the link above at Wikipedia), by keeping track of the maximum and minimum temperatures, which I have been doing for years, in my <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2009/01/importance-of-keeping-records.html">garden records</a>. Each crop or insect has a cumulative requirement of heat, or Growing Degree Units to flower, reach maturity or hatch out. It will be interesting to use this unit in the future, to calculate and predict crop maturity or expected pest emergence, in an ever changing climate.</div><br /><br />According to planting dates, we should have had our first new potatoes July 1st, instead of July 22nd, which shows that the cool weather set back the growing season by three weeks. Quite significant. But our first taste of potatoes, since the last wrinkled-ones in mid-June, was well worth the wait: Yukons, one large golden potato snuck out from each plant in a row. Boy they taste good. It's kind of a nice break, not eating potatoes in the gap between the last wrinkled, sprouting aliens, and the new, apple-crisp crop. Like cleaning the palette. After all, we do eat our share of potatoes over the winter. And come June we have an abundance of eggs so I can make all of the pasta I dreamed of making in the winter egg-drought.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV7yr2e4qk8-DSG4P818t4ewJs-Pr7wk_fgY8u3_TL7uYGA-qVPkZ-s4B3gTdXinDdcrxdBzMgG81gEgEGxtpMycLEmX_nefBt_rBHh1UH2tanJr663ZuZl4EMDTrA2FuN9eQ1XeSa88y/s1600-h/DSCN6214.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361714232854191410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV7yr2e4qk8-DSG4P818t4ewJs-Pr7wk_fgY8u3_TL7uYGA-qVPkZ-s4B3gTdXinDdcrxdBzMgG81gEgEGxtpMycLEmX_nefBt_rBHh1UH2tanJr663ZuZl4EMDTrA2FuN9eQ1XeSa88y/s320/DSCN6214.JPG" border="0" /></a> Likewise, there is nothing like that first sun-warmed tomato... We savored, half each, on a bed of lettuce and snow peas, with a yogurt-dill-cilantro dressing.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361714208191524514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQgPEDPooIJmqks3tNQ_z-XYqCV13IqpqTdrOA8OOfVfNezkz-wadyxYO957vNQ1O9trvoqlzj_b_7UaJMnU7dLAY72bQXQFKrR-uAJNnv3PSrjuyThpsu9PeGI1pyEAyQX0-baicm3pQ/s320/DSCN6291.JPG" border="0" /><br />Broccoli won't be far behind... I usually can't resist snapping off the first head and eating it right there in the garden.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361714214679669442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQGg-wXz1cVTgNc731uq29IvHOxbB8M50Mgs_ClsUq48fxl__rG39czlEXF1-ngGgWEniFS3verWhmonUBHNSvJ268SKVcbKHWQKh1-U7e6vH5QpGeON-jxJt0sHPyyHp3LmoM9J3Azs0/s320/DSCN6284.JPG" border="0" />The larger carrots can be selectively pulled from the row, making room and giving sunlight to the stragglers from replanting the gaps. I couldn't resist pulling a few early parsnips to go with the feast. The smell of freshly pulled parsnip roots and leaves reminds me of coconut. Didn't have any coconut milk in the house, but this is what the aroma inspired: carrots and parsnips sliced, steamed, cooked in butter, with chopped mint, peppermint and finely chopped dates. New favorite.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361714222643195986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulniemy_36SBinwBBBDmzgbuhuywJ3VanqPgOO4_z09sU6DTvq_WcIGBfi0TVHVOvXEw8fBhEKa2txU9kcnUxtj_KQwdwnvF4DlUpyBOvanpZNsOjH7_R-nRT3F2hN-aUDLhymDY-x0Si/s320/DSCN6270.JPG" border="0" /><br />Our last carrot planting was later than usual, after <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2009/06/if-only-i-had-known-trouble-i-had-sown.html">the cutworms marched through</a>, taking two May re-plantings with them, I was too discouraged to plant again, until after we put the <a href="http://growthechange.blogspot.com/2009/06/cutworm-fence-protecting-row-crops-from.html">cutworm fence </a>around the fallowed, cutworm free plot. The first week of July started with a flood and ended with a drought, I planted the carrots between 1" rains, and then the weather turned hot and dry, forming a crust on the surface of the soil. Larger seeds would not be worried by this, but tender carrot seedlings can really struggle with obstructions. And the heat was to continue for a week, so I experimented with laying a fine layer of hay over the beds, aiming for 50% coverage, like shade-cloth, to bring the soil moisture back to the surface and soften the soil, allowing the seeds easy emergence.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6JYoUt7PK8y7gQrYeQFZrceNT9zBQvGFs-V6IRx2gHpzbGiSG4t5WwGomBOBwn59pd38v-6RFPQ4vdyNnhEKVPhs1HCmC37d5EjcU3o1QuHhwiqDTv8kmml9liomWqBoEbmwd75z1yoI/s1600-h/DSCN6273.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361714226917265202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6JYoUt7PK8y7gQrYeQFZrceNT9zBQvGFs-V6IRx2gHpzbGiSG4t5WwGomBOBwn59pd38v-6RFPQ4vdyNnhEKVPhs1HCmC37d5EjcU3o1QuHhwiqDTv8kmml9liomWqBoEbmwd75z1yoI/s320/DSCN6273.JPG" border="0" /></a> It worked beautifully, the carrots poked up between the mulch, and it has worked to suppress some of the early weeds. As the crop emerges, I gently part the mulch and concentrate it between the rows to further suppress weeds.Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-74389840655714965092009-07-20T18:16:00.005-04:002009-07-21T12:20:56.718-04:00Chocolate and Collaboration<div align="left">For the last three years we have been living in a conservative rural area, where the unemployment/ welfare and illiteracy rates are well over 50% (before the recession even). There's plenty of places like this, all across North America. We both came out here, from large centers of Environmental and Social activism, as an act of going to the "frontlines". At the time, I felt that if all the activists stayed clustered in self-affirming sub-cultures, that we would all end up preaching to the choir, so to speak. I had never lived in a rural area, and I had grown quite cynical about the effectiveness of my urban protests, boycotts and activism through selective consumption. I wanted to become a producer, at least of the majority of my own goods, but our ultimate goal was to start a micro-CSA. We knew that we could keep our costs down in a rural area, and have ultimately outdone our own figures, living comfortably on $100 a month (including rent, utilities, food, transportation, you name it). Granted, it is a very different life than I had once lived, but it is full of rewards I would not have otherwise found.<br /><br />There is one undoubtedly necessary piece missing: community. I am quite satisfied with the practical aspects of our lifestyle, I would not easily go back to flush toilets, grid power, or anything less than fresh, high-quality, organic food grown by the output of my own physical labor. But I'm simply aching for some creative community outlets. I recently heard an interview with Frances Moore Lappe and she quoted a study done on the physiological effects of collaboration: it stimulates the same brain center as chocolate, a well known pleasure center of the brain. I have proven the inverse of this study, though experience, that social isolation is impoverishing, unhealthy and ultimately depressing. It saps my energy from the work I love to do in the garden. I have grown to realize that what we do out here is ultimately unsustainable without community, and that creatively working in collaboration has always filled my reserve of energy, rather than draining it.<br /><br />Our original plans for a micro-CSA, growing a variety of vegetables, grains, meats, eggs and dairy products for just one or two families or individuals, would easily have supported our financial needs, and allowed us to make responsible choices in investing in the tools and machinery for growing food in a post-Carbon Climate Change context. In our plans, we gave ourselves two years of building our soil, and providing for our own needs first, while we put the word around in the local communities, mostly having to explain what a CSA is, and why it is a more sustainable model than a market food economy. We also gave our rural neighbors time to get used to us, used to new ideas and ways of doing things, (and there is no doubt that people were curious about us when we moved here), before trying, let alone accepting, these alternatives. We lived by example, and watched as the same cars drove slowly past our raising barns, grazing animals and growing crops of vegetables and grains; very few actually stopped to meet us, they just watched, and definitely talked (we heard some pretty amusing rumors about us, accidentally making their way back to our ears).<br /><br />In other words, I do not feel that our expectations were unrealistic, we had a solid plan, a realistic idea of the amount of hard work it would require, and had scaled our income requirements to fit a very modest local interest in fresh, organically grown food, available at or below supermarket prices. But I am still at a loss for words to explain the utter lack of interest in what we offer. Anywhere else I have lived, we would have a waiting list. And this lack of interest is intimately tied to our social isolation, we simply have not met people who share our same concerns about the world, and about the future. Individual people have shown us kindness, done us favors (which we have enjoyed returning almost more so than the acceptance), and tried to make us feel welcome, but not one of them has been willing to collaborate with us. And that is the one thing we simply cannot do without, the one thing that makes our life unsustainable.<br /><br />When I started this blog, it was my attempt to find that sense of community and collaboration over the internet. I wanted to explore the possibility of using virtual spaces to organize and activate, while remaining on the "frontlines", in the communities where alternatives are hard to find. I have found friends, and supporters through this blog and other online platforms, but I need to feel that the work I am doing every day is contributing to a larger social goal, not just maintaining our existence here, and that is hard to do "virtually".<br /><br />I have only occasionally referred to the social aspect of our life here, partly because I am sometimes at a loss for words about it, partly because it sounds like a bit of a sad story, and I only want to share it publicly if it has some sort of point. And I suppose it is only just recently that I have put the pieces together, and fully understood the power of collaboration. Without community, we are constantly hobbled, unable to reach our potential. And it is really that: constantly striving to reach my ever growing and changing potential, that defines my purpose, my goal, my spiritual practice in life. Being hobbled for too long has begun to trick me into thinking that I cannot go any further.<br /><br />Which leads me to a decision we have been ruminating over since winter, we're moving on from here. It's difficult to know when it is time to move on, but there's simply too much work to be done for us to be stagnating. I have used our three years here well, getting some serious gardening and animal husbandry under my belt. I have also gained confidence in my resilience, my ability to adapt, and in my great satisfaction in living an agrarian life. The cynicism I once held for the effectiveness of my actions on making a positive social and environmental impact has been transformed into resolution, courage, faith.<br /><br />Where? We are going West, we are looking at certain areas from Oregon to British Colombia. But most importantly, we are looking for a community in which our skills and desire to work creatively, collaborate, and contribute to building a sustainable local food culture are welcomed, appreciated, and allowed to flourish. When? Next June is the goal. We have our garden and market garden this year to bring us through the winter, and time enough to organize the move, and begin to make contacts. The market garden was our last compromise to try and work within the established market food economy, and possibly influence it from within. The conventional farmers around here are skeptical at best, about organic production methods, and we hoped that our flourishing garden, high-quality produce, and low levels of disease and pests would give them a new impression. But those are mostly pipe dreams, and we mostly knew that already. In reality, the market garden is what we thought it would be, one big gamble. If we hit our luck, we will take the money and run.<br /><br />Regardless, we are moving under our own steam, by bicycle. It will be a grand adventure, decompression time, a journalistic look into how climate change is affecting the land and agriculture, the best way to travel, and an opportunity that a dairy-maid hardly ever gets: a month of exploration with nary a bleating, clucking mouth to feed.<br /><br />There is one place we have our eye on, the Slocan Valley in South Eastern British Colombia. They have some very inspiring community initiatives going on there. Including an <a href="http://sifco.ca/about-us/mission/">Integral Forrestry Innitiative</a> that sustainably manages a massive region of the local forest. As well as Canada's first <a href="http://www.energybulletin.net/node/49313">Grain CSA in the Creston Valley</a>. (This is just one of many sites and articles describing the Grain CSA, if the link eventually breaks, simply search under "Grain CSA Creston") This project really got me excited. In it's first year there were 200 shares sold, and 600 plus a waiting list for 2009, for local organic Wheat, Spelt, Kamut, Hulless Oats and Lentils. I have become particularly interested in the question of supplying regional grains, especially as more and more people are growing their own vegetables, but do not have space to grow grains. And in my own experience of growing and hand-harvesting our grains, it is a task more efficiently done with a community investment in small or appropriately scaled machinery.<br /><br />We will continue to blog about the season of growing and preserving our food this year, but as you can imagine, our focus has shifted in many ways. Our eyes are on a broader horizon. And we invite you to continue following us on our next big adventure.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360948366004272242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXi5crUIuh_1ZwDpqvakqtGaNShQv_mD1ppLJVfe49qsAHno9KA1DKPF6K7kT1uR5PTVuH1lYp0EkdTFbPr1Tv0TEIOwJwAgvk2B2eSgunS9xIT44YZyQnbUlkU94S3xMxvE73Yc6BYbNy/s320/DSCN6263.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"><em>This summer's crop of organic bread wheat</em></p>Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3420957879376754270.post-85554859873451088732009-07-17T13:44:00.005-04:002009-07-17T14:53:50.508-04:00Nature walkMy Nana is a special lady, full of character and one tough cookie. She showed me how a woman can do anything she puts her heart into, and my Nana put her full heart into life. And though it seems too early, I'm losing my Nana, and she is heading for a new adventure in that place beyond this life, and we are making our last goodbyes.<br /><br />Nana was a farm girl in Montana, she tells me stories of her and her sister bringing the Jersey cows home from pasture, out of the valley, up over the ridge in the evening, sometimes even riding the old dears part of the way back. Nana saw in me a kindred spirit, although I grew up in the city, I was always "her nature girl". My favorite times spent with her were on our yearly family reunion camping trip, celebrated every year in August for almost 20 years straight.<br /><br />Nana and I would take the trail from the campgrounds to the coast together, walking through the filtered light of the pines. The landscape changed gradually over the 2 mile walk, the forest would end, and open up to wild grass and shrub land, getting rockier and more open as we reached the ocean's edge, then up the coast a ways, on the tumbled salt-sprayed boulders of the Northern California coast. And each place held treasures that we would collect. The forest offered Blue Jay feathers, creeping forest flowers, mushrooms, leaves, along with the bubbling brook with a small foot bridge where we could look for fish or frogs, fallen logs where snakes might hide, and always the canopy full of calling Jays and Crows. The grassland offered wildflowers of every hue, along with wispy grass seedheads, and my favorite Lamb's Ears, so soft, I would rub the leaves and think of bunny ears. We walked quiet and alert through the grass land, hoping to spot a grazing deer or elk.<br /><br />Nana held the treasures that we gathered as we walked. She taught me how to call the ducks with Goose Grass held between our palms. She would hold my hand, or I would walk ahead, leading the way and moving between all of the beauty I found in the natural world around us, so different from rows of houses and lawns, beauty I knew she saw and loved, too. Nana held each unique bouquet of treasures on our walk. As if it were a great work of art, we would arrange it and fill it out with complementary colors and textures from the familiar palette of our nature walk. She made it feel special to me as a girl, these moments that are now incomparably precious to me, looking back.<br /><br />The coast line held many treasures of rock, shell and seaweed, ocean tossed wood and glass. These treasures were usually pocketed and poured over when we reached our favorite rock, where the rest of the family gathered with food and feast. Nana and I took the walking path together. As Nana settled into the family routine of serving and seating and talk and laughter, I would scamper about the tidepools and rocks. There was always a starfish or hermit crab to bring back and share with her, always a seal bobbing in the waves to point out, always a seagull overhead, nagging for a scrap of the feast. And she always listened and looked, and saw what I showed her. Thank you Nana for showing me life, and sharing in it's discovery with me. I'll always be your nature girl.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359501634852932418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9O-NC1aCcZip8uhNaQLI51cOEEzDGRHbJLajV4SnBb3noXc9Mg5JtIZm0pyJJmd5ZZtXDEevGw9jROlMeoMFKdOPDAsZLWyUPtt_BcuU4JqJtdnknIg4wfJ-sPW7RD57a6YxnehMJehM/s320/DSCN6207.JPG" border="0" />Freija and Beringian Fritillaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11591614320106389316noreply@blogger.com2