Greens

According to the Farmer's Almanac, this week will be a good time to: pull plant pests, mow grass or cut hair to retard growth, perform demolition, quit smoking., dig holes, cut firewood, or write.  Have other plans?  You might want to check the Farmer's Almanac Calendar first. 

My roommates and I are doing our best to keep up with our garden's Spring growth. As we put our transplants and seeds in we have to clear out all the little weed seedlings that appeared overnight. We've also been in the process of creating new beds for uncultivated parts of the yard. Adding in plenty of compost for growing heavier feeders like tomatoes and squashes. Since there are five of us living here, and everyone acts mysteriously, it's fun to return each time to the garden and observe what new work has been done, and guess who has done it.

We have three yards around our housing with varying degrees of sun reception. In the North facing yard we are experimenting with growing greens and Brassicas and roots. I think cultivating shade tolerant native perennials would be the best bet but no one wants to spend that kind of money. Best Shade-Tolerant Vegetables Instead we are growing kale in all areas of our tripartite yard to see how they each fare as the summer rolls around. I find myself walking around the back of the house, talking to the little plant starts, praying for them because I'm not sure they even get 3 hours of sun a day. We'll see what happens.

More Garlic

I purchased 12 bulbs of garlic from the store then broke them apart to yield 69 of their best cloves for planting. It's a drizzly, gray day in early March and I am planting garlic a little later then I would like, however I think it's still going to work out. I've had better success with fall plantings, but back in 2012 I planted both in the fall and late winter to provide for a full late summer harvest. We'll see - it's always a big wonder to me putting seed in the ground.

I created two separate bed for garlic, and am interplanting the rest of the cloves. I wonder how each mico-crop will do depending on where it is in the yard, due to mineral deposits or deficiencies from previous harvests. Or for the garlic interplanted: will they do better by themselves or with others?

Heaven in earth!

From an herbalist's perspective, garlic may be the wisest choice for anyone to grow. It's main active ingredient allicin is said to be antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiviral. So it can be used topically for abrasions, inflammations or warts. It can be used internally to enhance immune system response to colds, flus, and autoimmune diseases. It also contains antioxidants, which trap free radicals in the body. Studies have demonstrated garlic kills cancer cells, roundworms, ringworm, athlete's foot, and staph.

If you are taking garlic and the allicin is interacting with toxic cells or other medications in your body you may experience side effects (of course). Stomachache, bloating, body odor, headache, fatigue are all symptoms that your body is detoxing. They are not necessarily bad, just signals to pay attention to, that are mostly a result of your own dietary choices. People on blood thinners should especially be careful, since garlic is also a blood thinner, reducing blood pressure. Something for people with lower blood pressure to pay attention to as well.

Peas & Roses

I've started pruning roses around our house, there are seven plants. Some are quite tall and unruly (after having been pruned sporadically in previous years) so it will take awhile.

As I go out into the yard I need to remember these points:
* Open the center of the plant for air circulation and light
* Make clean cuts ( at 45 degree angle)
* Clear out the broken, dying, diseased, dead wood
* Remove the weak twiggy branches thinner then a pencil
* Remove last year's foliage

Additionally I threw down some pea seeds! All along the fenceline where they'll have something easy to climb up on. It's sure to rain the next several days so perfect timing. It's the first time I actually got peas in by President's Day (perhaps I will be too early, we'll see) They are the Oregon Trail variety that are supposed to grow 30 inches tall, so hopefully the bamboo stakes will be tall and strong enough.

(Here is a link to a previous post I wrote about pruning roses back in March 2012: Above Golden Gardens.)

Wildcrafting

Haven't written a post in awhile but my friend told me she expected this in her inbox and she's holding me accountable. That was over a week ago though.

I was so glad I went! The Olympia Free Herbal Clinic organized their second annual Dandelion Seed Conference and fundraising adventure. I was lucky to obtain a scholarship to attend (although the entry fee is affordable compared to most conferences). I didn't know anyone there but ran into a tea seller (Bird's Eye Tea) I sometimes chat with at the University District Farmer's Market. She told me some of her stories about wildcrafting acorns, or driving to southern Oregon to harvest pine nuts, except there were none. That and Saturday's keynote, Heron Brae, “Beyond Ethical Wildcrafting: Remembering Our Human Place in the World”, who shared photos from her wild food foraging excursions while living off the grid -- I found most inspiring. She talked about the importance of giving back to the earth, such as replanting, or helping plants reseed themselves, for all that we consume of them.

One month ago I picked up The Front Yard Forager by Melany Vorass-Herrera at the library, and just started looking through it. There are some plants listed such as dandelion and clover that I am familiar with (I tried making dandelion fritters once) and many that I have yet to learn. Her basic claim is - why go out of your way to buy produce that has less nutrient value, is less fresh, and has more pesticides than the food you can harvest right in your neighborhood. I've always felt reluctance toward harvesting plants right in the heart of Seattle thinking they're polluted from the air, traffic, and other sources. She says to stay away from railways, but otherwise just to give the plants a good washing. Most of her recipes contain other ingredients you buy from the store though.

So you can't base your entire diet off wildcrafting, but there's value in rekindling your relationship to the plants around you. I suppose it would be good for me to be familiar with most of the plants I walk by in my day to day. So that is the big seed the conference has planted for me in the time that has followed.

Lettuce

I obtained a flat of lettuce starts from Cascadia Edible Landscapes for very cheap because they were sloppily seeded and needed to get in the ground. I parsed out 59 seedlings, some with terrible root structures. Somehow 48 of them are becoming full heads of lettuce, which means an abundance. I'm quite excited to be able to give most of these away though I don't have too many salad eaters in my life. Here is some of it: a kind of oak leaf lettuce.

I'm not sure, why don't more people enjoy lettuce? Unconsciously afraid of E. coli? Perhaps because there are only a handful of varieties at supermarkets, most with very bland taste. But if you spend a half hour reviewing a seed catalogue all the colors will make your mouth water. Invest in a different variety from the farmer's market each purchase, and give your tongue something to learn.

Selective breeding over the centuries has produced delayed bolting, larger seeds, leaves and heads, different tastes, textures, shapes and colors. These days research in genetic modification seeks to enhance herbicide tolerance, and resistance to  plant diseases and pests. However, lettuce varieties like to cross themselves (complicating things for seed savers). If they cross with wild lettuce they produce tougher, more bitter leaves. Should we take some cues from nature?

Lactuca sativa (Lac- "milk", sativa "cultivated"), of the sunflower family, was first cultivated by the Egyptians for oil in it's seeds, and was held sacred to the god Min, god of fertility. It was carried during festivals, in order to help the god "perform the sexual act untiringly". Indeed, lettuce is a wise choice for such a symbolic act, since it grows so easily! Although it doesn't preserve well and must be eaten quickly. In terms of feeding human health: lettuce offers plant protein, vitamins a and c, potassium, calcium, and iron. It also naturally absorbs and concentrates lithium. Medicinal benefits include treatments for pain, rheumatism, tension, nervousness and insanity. The lithium must somehow be involved with that.

Stinging Nettle

Drinking house made nettle kombucha as I write this. I harvested some baby nettle shoots recently at the Wolf Tree Natural Trail. I only got stung a couple times. Look at the texture of the stingers on those stems!

I've been drinking quite a bit of nettle tea these last few weeks. Trying to stave off Spring allergies, for they are effective antihistamines. I've been sticking it in stir frys and made a white pasta sauce. Here are more recipes: http://www.thekitchn.com/stinging-nettles-8-recipes-for-145582 

If you want to go wildcrafting you may find the plant in shady areas in larger parks. They crop up where soil is fertile, in woodland areas. Now is the time to go and harvest the young plants, which are nutrient dense and fresh. I remember the first time I attempted to harvest nettle from a guidebook many years ago while on a camping trip. I was pretty sure I'd identified the plant correctly but was too intimidated to sting myself. I've now come to appreciate the subtle sting sensation that lasts about a half hour, though I don't go out of my way for it.

I started to do some research in books and online since I recently started selling an "Allergies Away" tea with the plant at a local market. Nettle is also a diuretic, which may be a problem if you are taking other drugs such as caffeine, alcohol or pharmaceuticals - increasing dehydration. At the same time it aids in lowering blood pressure and blood sugar. Additionally it may alter menstruation - so it seems nettle is powerfully connected to blood. Something to pay attention to if you are consuming a lot of it. 

Garlic

We are still going to garden. http://herbdiaryseattle.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-weed-lot.html#!/2013/01/new-weed-lot.html We will not get much sun in our back or side yards. But we're still going to put things in the ground.

Anita cleared out a bed below the grafitti and lined it with large stones. She layed cardboard down on the little growth that is there.

I cleared out a bed by the side of the house that has pretty good soil already. Just not much light. But I stuck some garlic bulbs in there. The best time for planting garlic is in the fall (the babies I planted at Doppelganger are doing alright) but you can also plant in the spring. It might be early still but it's all for the sake of experiment. These cloves needed to be dealt with. Some of them have been planted with compost, some not. I'm wondering about putting mulch down since it's late February. http://www.garlicfarm.ca/growing-garlic.htm

Well, another garden from scratch! Oh well. Here is an easy article on "Starting A Garden".