Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land by Gary Paul Nabhan

Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land
: Lessons from Desert Farmers on Adapting to Climate Uncertainty by Gary Paul Nabhan

I have long enjoyed reading books by Gary Paul Nabhan. A nature writer, farming activist, and promoter of environmental and cultural diversity, Nabhan has lived on his small farm in Patagonia, Arizona, and worked and studied throughout the Sonora desert for more than 30 years. He has researched the plants and farming techniques of indigenous peoples around the world and is also one of the founders of ‘Native Seed Search’ an organization that saves, shares and sells heirloom and ‘landrace’ seeds adapted to dry climates. His books offer a tour of specific regions through ethnobotanist eyes with a knack for Read more

Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land
: Lessons from Desert Farmers on Adapting to Climate Uncertainty by Gary Paul Nabhan Read More »

honeybee on yarrow

Some thoughts on climate change and bees

There can be no overstating the importance of bees both domesticated and wild, for the purpose of pollinating food crops. They are indeed some of Nature’s miracle workers’.(It takes a combined average of about 55,000 ‘Bee miles’ to produce 1 lb of honey!)Bees however are being impacted by neonicotinoids and other man-made chemicals that are a believed cause of ‘Colony Collapse” the world over.Another often overlooked cause of the decline of pollinators, specifically bees, is climate change.In order to make this connection, we should first examine a bit about how and when bees leave the hive and fly.You may have

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Storm clouds

More on water and the drought

When it rains here on the central coast of California (not nearly enough of late) the water that splashes down on our rooftops runs through the gutters, then the downspouts and (if you live in the city) usually down a storm drain system and out to the ocean.Ever wonder how much water that is? I did when after just one downpour I collected enough water from an eight-foot length of gutter on my shop roof to overflow a fifty-gallon barrel in less than 1 hour!With a little research, I found that as a rule of thumb, for every 1,000 sq

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fallen leaves in a pond

Water

Water. Our planet’s surface is covered about 70% by this life essential liquid. That is approximately 331 million cubic miles of water. However, all but 3% contains salt. Three-quarters of this 3% of freshwater is in the form of ice. Half of the remaining ¼ of freshwater is located 2,500+ feet below the surface and embedded in rock. That is too deep to be obtained economically and leaves the water in lakes, rivers, accessible aquifers, (groundwater), and the atmosphere. Just 1/8 of 3%, or 0.375 percent!Obviously, this precious resource, this gift of the earth, must be protected and utilized wisely,

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The Wild Wisdom of Weeds, by Katrina Blair

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival

Eat your weeds or there’ll be no dessert!At a lecture I once attended during an organic farming conference a speaker asserted that the best form of food security would come from learning to eat grass. “You would always have enough to share and next to no one would try to take it away from you.” Laughter followed.Seventeen years later. Climate change, extended drought, massive floods, failing agriculture systems, famines a world population of 7 billion+, who’s laughing now?These “scientific facts” do not care whether anyone believes in them or not. Food production, either organic or conventional, is, in its present

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The Plant Hunters

The Plant Hunters: Two Hundred Years of Adventure and Discovery Around the World

There are so many wonderful plants that gardeners enjoy and admire at home as well as in famous gardens and parks. But how many of us know the origins of these plants or how they came to be here? Most of them, if not indigenous to our location, were brought here by plant collectors or “Hunters” from around the world. Collected from nearly every continent on the planet by botanical/horticulturists that, far from being ‘airy fairy pansy lovers’, were intrepid, adventurous and daring folk, the Indiana Joneses of the plant world: Sir Joseph Banks aboard the EndeavorDavid Douglas and the

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Gaia's Garden, A Guide

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 Cultured Foods" by Sandor Ellix Katz

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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fava beans in #5 pots

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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