Happy Midsummer!

Wow, I can't believe it is the Summer Solstice already - it seems I just planted the garden and now the days will start getting shorter again already. Lots going on around here, but I'm taking the time to get outside almost every day and enjoy some aspect of nature. Meditating outside has been a really nice practice to start, but the mosquitoes are starting to make that a bit more difficult these days. And putting on bug spray before going out to meditate seems a bit counter-intuitive, but maybe that's better than swatting at them the whole time!

The garden is coming along, but slowly. The weather has been better than last year so far, but there were some cool days that seemed to have put things back a week or two. And some cats have been using the garden as a place to dig, which has been annoying. They've taken out a couple rows of parsnip and fennel, for sure. But the carrots are up, the endive is thriving and the beans, peas, chard and kale have made brave appearances. I'm still waiting on the potatoes (planted two weeks later than everything else due to weather and poor planning on my part) and there is no sign of any fennel anywhere, which I had really wanted for the seeds. I'm keeping on top of the weeds at least, so far, and I'm trying to be less worried about the garden this year, given last year's ongoing frustrations.

Anyway, that's a bit of a ramble about how things are going here. How are things where you are?

(Gorgeous sun graphic courtesy Feeding Curiosity)

Rain and Radishes

It seems fitting somehow that on the day it finally rains, I was able to harvest the first fully grown thing from my garden: radishes. I have been sneaking out some kale and chard leaves, but these are still by all means in the miniature stage. I'm happy to report that the radishes were not bug-eaten at all, and were nicely spicy and crisp. I planted just one small row of radishes this year, since last year I had a huge overabundance of them, and they had become buggy and woody by the time I got them all out of the ground. Last year I just chucked all the radish leaves into the compost too, but this year I am going to try making radish leaf pesto instead!

The rain has left the garden moist and fragrant. Rainwater is so much better for the plants than tap-water, judging by the growth spurt that occurs after the rain falls. There's just nothing more essential than water, yet it can be so easy to take it for granted -- at least until it stops raining.

One of my favorite verses from the Tao Te Ching is about water. I've posted it before, but after last night's welcome rain, it seems to be a good time to post it again. We could all stand to be a little more like water, I think:

Chapter 8

The highest goodness resembles water
Water greatly benefits myriad things without contention
It stays in places that people dislike
Therefore it is similar to the Tao

Dwelling with the right location
Feeling with great depth
Giving with great kindness
Speaking with great integrity
Governing with great administration
Handling with great capability
Moving with great timing

Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproach

Translation by Derek Lin

A few garden pictures

So tomorrow is July 1st, Canada Day. Comparing pictures of my garden this year from about the same time last year, you can see just how far behind the growing season is. I have managed to harvest a few small greens for our guinea pigs though - they love the tender lettuce, kale and chickweed.

We have been having some mole problems too. So we ordered some mole-repellers that use a chattering sound and vibrations to convince the mole to move away, because there's another mole in town. The man at the hardware store told us we could generate the same effect using pinwheels, so we are trying some of those as well. Nicely patriotic for Canada Day, even! We're not sure if these are working yet, but there don't seem to be any new mole hills/holes, so far.

My perennial herb garden is doing fairly well. All three of my salad greens are growing nicely, albeit slowly. This plantain plant to the right of the Salad Burnet is a volunteer - but once I found out about its extensive medicinal properties, I have just let it grow. The guinea pigs like to eat these two plants as well - plain lettuce from the grocery store just doesn't cut it anymore!
In my rock path to the garden I have transplanted some thyme, and put up this little barrier to keep people from walking on it while it gets established. Eventually I would like thyme and other ground cover all amonst the rocks - it's just a matter of 'thyme' I guess! Hee!
Here is an overall picture of the garden. You can see that the potatoes on the left are doing really well, and so are the peas on the right. The beans, carrots, kale, chard and radishes are just tiny still, and I have pretty much given up on the cucumbers and the pumpkin. I may dig up the cucumber plot (the last plot on the right) and plant kohl rabi instead. Apparently it is a good candidate for kim chi, so I would like to try it, if it's not too late.
So that's a quick update on the state of the 2009 Garden. I hope everyone else's gardens are coming along as well, and that you are getting more rain than we are. Already two nearby municipal counties have declared droughts, and ours could be next. But I hope not.

New Year in September...

I have always thought of September as being the start of a New Year, much more so than January. Years of going to university probably ingrained in me the idea that September is all about beginnings. All those new loose-leaf binders, day planners, back packs, and pens, oh the beautiful pens! And sweaters - I can wear sweaters again.

So this past Labor Day weekend really brought me the sense that Summer is winding down. It's been a good Summer, with many gardening lessons learned. I tried my hand at canning for the first time, bought a freezer and even dried some chard and tea herbs, as I try and get a handle on this whole food security thing. We joined a local organic CSA farm, and I learned a bit about how to cook based on what's in season, rather than what's in the grocery store.

I made a start on a small herb garden, and even tried growing some different types of grains, just to see if it would work. We put in a vegetable garden, and planted a variety of trees. I planted edible plants instead of decorative annuals in my flower pots, and dined on local salad greens. We bought a rain barrel. I tried cooking in my homemade solar oven. I learned more about the plants that grow in my own back yard, and enjoyed many a cup of herb tea from the leaves I picked within 50 feet of my front door. Planting garlic and marigolds around the perimeter of the garden seems to have kept the deer out. It was a good Summer.

And now Fall approaches - quickly. We've had our first frost already and it has spurred us on to split and stack firewood. This weekend we dismantled the Little Garden entirely, and have turned that part of the acreage into a wood storage area. I've moved the compost bin over to the Big Garden area. We're arranging to have the chimney cleaned, and we'll (hopefully) learn from the chimney sweep person how to do it ourselves. We tested out the hand pump for the cistern, and it works! Now we can pump water if our electricity goes out.

And, I picked the first of the corn. I'd forgotten I'd planted a blue corn variety until I shucked the two small ears and saw that one was all decorative-looking. Upon cooking the two ears, the blue corn turned out to be much more tender and tasty than the regular yellow corn. I think I left it too long on the stalk, and I'll probably harvest the rest of the corn right away, even though the ears seem quite small.

The biggest lesson of all seems to be to "Stop, and pay attention." Become attuned to natural cycles. Watch and see which plants like which conditions. Slow down and notice the two beans that look like they're embracing on the vine, or the fuzzy seed pods on the chick peas. The opulent beauty of squash blossoms, and the perfection of a new potato just under the surface of the soil. The resilience of leeks and carrots, despite all the weeds and the days I forgot to water them.

So Happy New Year everyone! May we all experience the vigor and zest that comes with a crisp Fall day, and the cozy contentment of a warm cup of tea on a chilly Fall evening.

CSA Bounty: Week 5, and a short hiatus

Whew, it's been a busy couple of weeks and I'm behind on posting about my CSA goodies again. I picked up this delectable bunch of stuff last Tuesday, so much it needed to be in a box, not a bag this time. There were two heads of lettuce (red leaf and butter), more spring onions, a bunch of radishes, baby beats and their delicious leaves, another big bunch of chard and joy of joys, some strawberries! I almost forgot to take a picture of the bounty before cooking and eating it, as you can tell by the beat-y knifes there, which had already been chopping stuff up. I love Tuesdays!

Also, just a note to say that the posts here will be getting quite a bit more sparse for the next couple of weeks. We have company coming and several family commitments to attend to until the end of the month. When I get back up to speed I hope to have some posts about these letters I keep getting back from my elected representatives, as well as some more ponderings about water and soil, and eventually a little bit of Folk Fest Philosophy, when the time comes.

Be well everyone, and remember to slow down and enjoy the offerings of whatever season and climate you find yourself in!