Raspberry Scones
A Bowl of Raspberries
2020
Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
Perhaps one of the most recognizable heralds of spring are narcissus, (the genus that includes daffodils, jonquils, and paperwhites). The flowers of these geophytes (bulbs) play a larger role in my garden than just their display of bright cheery blooms. Because all narcissus bulbs are poisonous to just about everything including gophers, I have incorporated them into my apple orchard “guild”. “Plant guilds” are a permaculture term used to describe a group of plants that companion well together providing benefits to one another thus enhancing their growth and survival better than they would fare on their own. Some simple examples
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Wild Fermentation; the Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live Culture Foods
The first batch of sour pickles are in the crock and will be ready in just about a day!If you haven’t read this book yet then I highly recommend you do so!So many recipes beyond pickles for vegetable krauts & kimchis, miso & tempeh, beers, wines, & meads, yogurt & cheese, sourdough bread, and more!Simple clear instructions on how to turn your gardens bounty and real food ingredients into super healthy fare.I am completely hooked on “wild fermentation!”
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Container gardening pros and cons
Think of growing veggies in pots as mini raised beds. Because that’s what they are with certain advantages and only a few caveats. Advantages;1. Using plastic pots in sizes ranging from #5 (5gal) up to #25 (25 gal) or larger is a far cheaper proposition than the material costs of a “raised bed”/garden box.Additionally, most pot/container setups are temporary, allowing for other uses of the space when not in garden use.2. Using black plastic pots or black painted containers will help to warm soil above the surrounding ground soils allowing for earlier planting in temperate climates. This same factor can
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Leonotis mollissima
With its seed origin on the northern tip of the island of Unguja in the Zanzibar archipelago, this rare member of the genus Leonotis has found its way into my gardens this year.A perennial plant it is native to East and South Africa.White whorls of flowers and large aromatic leaves are attractive to both bees and butterflies.Nearly every plant in the genus of Leonotis is used in traditional medicines and ‘Mukasi’ is no exception.(A close relative being Lion’s Tail, Leonotis leonurus)In traditional African medicine (TAM) it is used as an intestinal bitter against stomach complaints (tea or fresh leaf chew)
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Bracer roots
A deformity? Scary Halloween toes?Nature’s wonders may not always be beautiful but they are fascinating.This is the base of a stalk of corn and the extensions are called “bracer roots”.They are more commonly seen on heirloom varieties that are tall growers.The indigenous Mixe community in the isolated village of Totontepec in the eastern mountains of Oaxaca, grow a maize, known as olotón which grows to nearly 20’ feet in height.It produces a mucous like gel from these bracer roots.The gel contains nitrogen forming bacteria that drips to the soil and nourishes the plant!Further research with this unique trait could revolutionize
Crinum moorei
We’ve made it halfway through the week (or to somewhere).This beauty is Crinum moorei,( Moore’s Crinum Lily, Natal Lily, Lily of the Orinico). it’s blooming late this year by about two weeks which is in keeping with current climate change; Spring two weeks earlier, Fall two weeks later.Still it looks great against that ‘Kodachrome’ sky!
Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West” by Michael Moore
As a nurseryman and grower specializing in edible, ceremonial and medicinal plants for gardens and landscapes here on the central coast of California as well as an amateur herbalist, I am always looking for more information on medicinal plants native to this area. “Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West” by Michael Moore contains a wealth of information for both the novice and the advanced herbalist practitioner: Identification and safe use of the plants Appearance, habitats, collecting methods and storage Therapeutic uses, constituents, and preparations Potential toxicities and medical contradictions Tea making, tincturing, and salve making More than 300 species are
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Citrus sinensis, Blood Orange
Of all the varieties of “sweet” oranges (Citrus sinensis), the Blood Orange stands out as my favorite. While oranges, in general, originate from China and are likely a hybrid between the Pomelo and the Tangerine, blood oranges originated as a mutation of the sweet orange. The origin of the Blood Orange is uncertain, either in Asia or the Southern Mediterranean. There are at least 15 named varieties of Blood orange, the most common being the Tarocco (native to Italy), the Sanguinello (native to Spain), and the Moro, the newest variety of the three. All are characterized by being somewhat smaller
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