Sweet Solidago

It's been such a busy summer. In fact, it perplexes me to consider that autumn's full arrival is only weeks away. I've been busy growing food, eating food and preserving food. And, in my world, food includes herbs. I dry … ferment … can … freeze … infuse in vinegar, oil, alcohol and honey …

Speaking of honey, I was recently guided to make a small batch of goldenrod (Solidago spp.) infused honey. This is a first for me, and I'm sensing it will come in handy in the coming months for something renal or respiratory related, for lungs or kidneys that crave a little toning sweetness … or (and this really resonates for me) to soothe and comfort the heart-center as we journey into the heart of darkness toward and into the season of winter. 

Whether we use her botanical or common name, she speaks of the sun. 

Solidago expresses sol (sun) and dago (dagger), the dagger of the sun … that cuts through haze, mists, fogs and the deepest darknesses … all the while allowing shadows to emerge with clarity and crispness, forms in which we may nurture sustaining and loving relationships with them, for they are a loving part of us. Goldenrod, which blooms with summer's waning, expresses the staff that we may carry into the west, to steady our footing and offer golden light and warmth as we head into the solitary cold and darkness of winter's realm. 

To make a infused honey is, like so much of herbal Medicine (the people's Medicine), so simple. Fill a jar with your herb of choice, cover with a nice local, raw honey, cap and label with contents and date. You can place the jar on a high shelf, out of direct sunlight and forget about it until you have a need to remember. Strain it and use it at will. I often process my jars in a dehydrator, giving them a several hours at a low (110F) temperature over the course of several days. Some folks process their herb and honey in a crock pot on the low setting for a few days. As I say to my students, this is not rocket science … trust your guidance, your intuition … trust your experience … and have fun.

~rose

they say, "eat me, eat me."

At least that's what the ones I've been listening to have been saying to me. Recently, you might say I was guided to take a closer look at how I've been feeding myself. I realized that, especially given the hit I've taken to my heart chakra, I could be eating a whole lot more green food.

So I've added greens - fresh greens - to every meal, including breakfast. And I don't have words enough to tell you how much better I feel.

Weeds I've Heard From...

I haven't been doing much writing or reading lately: what I have been doing a lot of is weeding....weeding and rambling.

Weeding is a good way to do nothing as long as I don't care how many weeds are still left when I'm done. And on my ramble this morning, I saw wild phlox, buttercups, honeysuckle, ragged robin and forget-me-nots.

Garden Update

I haven't been raptured. I'm okay with that. I just planted a garden. I'd like to see it through.

The tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, and eggplant are all doing fine in their pots. I transplanted thyme, oregano, parsley, and lovage into some of the tomato pots, and they seem to be liking their new homes. Kale, broccoli, cabbage, garlic chives, and red onions are all looking great in the raised bed. The L-shaped vegetable bed is quiet except for the pumpkin and loofah transplants.

Then there are the direct sown seeds. The snow peas were the first to poke through the surface. Yesterday, I noticed there were also radishes of the French Breakfast variety, kohlrabi, and chioggia beets sprouting. With this week of thunderstorms, I had some fears that some of the seeds would get washed away. I was dumping excess water out of pots, and checking the beds daily. Today, there are Scarlet Globe radish, Black Spanish radish, Sylvetta arugula, golden chicory, and Amish snap pea raising up little leaves.

A neighbor noticed me and called out a good morning. He asked me how we built the bed. He wants to build his own.

The bed is about 36' long. It's 5' wide for half of it, and 3' wide for the other half. This is because of the fence the bed is against - the raised bed fits the shape of the fence.

Beds are generally 4' wide to make it easy for you to reach in for sowing, weeding, harvesting, staking, etc. We used untreated wood for the bed (chemically treated wood is a bad idea for a vegetable garden). It's pretty easy to take a drill and secure wood together at the ends. You can get four 8' long pieces of 2" x 10", cut two of the pieces in half, and have a 4' x 8' vegetable bed. Instead of going through the back-breaking work of turning over sod, lay down layers of newspaper. Once the soil is put in, everything growing underneath it will die.

For soil, I used GreenCycle. They delivered a mix of organic topsoil and compost to my driveway. We then hauled it all over, using tarps, to the beds. It was hard work, but I had some wonderful friends helping me out.

Pictures coming soon.

It finally happened - my dirt arrived.

Four yards of organic mixed topsoil and compost! Don't you just want to lay in it like a pile of leaves? ;)

First, I painted the bed.

Malai "helped." The pots are for tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, herbs, and dwarf sugar peas.

Then, with actual help of course, the bed was filled! Here there will grow cucumbers, okra, kohlrabi, lettuces, zucchini, onions, leeks, thai basil, spinach, radishes, and broccoli.

We had dirt leftover, so a whole new garden bed was created!

All those daylilies and other things near the foreground of the photo were up against the house. I moved them to the end of the fence and created an L-shaped vegetable bed. This is where the corn, pumpkin, loofah, beans, and peas are going. All that's needed now are some trellises!

It was a lot of work. Digging, painting, carrying, and planning. Couldn't have done it without the help of family and friends, so thank you to them. At the end of the day and after a shower, Lover and I settled into our couch not wanting to move again. Our chihuahua and Munchkin cat curled around us, and we held cups of hot gomaichu (a great tea with a woody, savory flavor). Worn, accomplished, clean, and sore, I felt completely content.

It's been a slow start, but next year will be better. Now that the beds are in, I can plant cool weather crops like brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) and peas early on. The onions, tomatoes, and peppers will get started with the grow-light and heat mats, and everything else will get put in as soon as the last frost pasts. Gardening....ahhhhh. Rejuvenating.

Dandelion Petals

The dandelions are blooming. I nearly squeal with excitement when I see their sunny heads raised to the sky. I harvested a small bunch today and sat in the shade to lovingly pluck the petals. Now, I sometimes add these to pancakes and biscuits, sprinkle them on a salad or garnish a soup with them … but these ...

 … these were bagged up and placed in the freezer. As the dandelions continue their blooming - and they will - I'll keep harvesting and adding to the freezer bag. When I have enough (whatever that turns out to be) I'll start a batch of dandelion wine, or liquid sunshine, as I like to call it.

They're beautiful, aren't they?

First books, and now seeds...

Libraries. Quiet enclosures of knowledge, history, words, pictures, listening pleasure in the form of compact discs, and viewing pleasure in both DVD and VHS format. Who doesn't love a well-stocked library?

Now, catching on in various parts of the country, are seed-lending programs via libraries.

Fairfield Library is doing a seed-lending program. The idea is that you "borrow" heirloom seeds, sow 'n' grow, benefit from the veggies and green, and preserve seeds from the plants. In the fall, you bring the preserved seeds back and return them to the library. How cool is that?!?!

(toilet paper roll seeds)

The program is sponsored by the Fairfield Woods Branch Library and the Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm. Funding for program is provided by the Fairfield Earth Day Committee. Seeds were donated by Bakers Creek and Comstock Seeds.

Hopefully this is a trend that will continue to catch on and spread to libraries everywhere. Here's to spreading the independent food movement.