Welcome back readers!
Has anyone else encountered this sensation lately?
"The snow melts. The earth thaws. Some weeks later, on a sunny afternoon, I am walking along a street with my jacket unzipped, and for the first time there appears an intoxicating odor- spring. The soil has warmed up enough that I can smell the bloom of soil fungi. The nose of this spring wine is rich, fuity. When I was young and this aroma hit, some instictual joy would grab me and I would go running down the street, block after block, fast as I could." - An excerpt from Steve Solomon's fabled "Gardening When it Counts"
While not the first time I have read about such a phenomenon, I have never felt it so strongly as this past weekend when Eugene was treated to some beautifully sunny skies and some much needed solar heat gain in the soil, undoubtedly causing headaches for the bewildered weather reporters of Eugene (One has to wonder if such an occupation even exists after living through a spring season in the area).
Our starts are dutifully awakening with an unassuming vigor that can only be witnessed by careful observation and patience.
We attended the The Neighborhood Leaders Council Committee on Sustainability's "Green Neighbors Faire" which was an incredible and life-affirming experience. The selection of booths and presentations by various rock stars of the green economy was staggering: everything from a cutting edge mycologist studying the latest techniques of bioremediation, Ja Schindler (fungiforthepeople.org ), to some extraordinarily nice women from M.E.C.C.A., an art materials recycling center (materials-exchange.org), this 'faire' had everything two young aspiring urban farmers could ever dream for. The Eugene Backyard Farmer even had an outside table with a Silver Wyandotte perched somewhat irritably nearby.
Is anyone of our readers familiar with this method? If so, what are your favorite recipes?
A basket weaved out of trash bags from M.E.C.C.A
One of the many educational signs that captured our attention.
The latest in Electric Vehicle (E.V.) technology!
Spring flower.
H. Ulmarius at varying stages of digestion. Don't get grossed out yet! The yellowish liquid on the right is actually primarily naturally-produced hydrogen peroxide, a byproduct of the mycelium.
A revolutionary new technique for removing petrochemicals from our waste stream.
The white mushrooms at the top are the same strain as the blob in the jar, if you can believe it (and quite delicious on a pizza, also).
Steve Solomon isn't simply a great writer; he is a legendary farmer as well. We purchased a batch of his complete organic fertilizer, mixed up by the Eugene Backyard Farmer, and have been applying it liberally to new beds, which hopefully will prove to be much easier than attempting to procure the resources ourselves for good quality, organic fertilizer at wholesale prices here in the city.
A newly devised keyhole bed at Alton Baker.
Garlic has been astonishingly easy to grow this season.
A bed of onions, in which we recently companion planted a mixture of lettuce, carrots, parsnips, radishes, and beets; hopefully the weather stays nice for the next few days so we can get some good germination rates.
Jenny admiring her handiwork.
A neighbors beautifully inter cropped bed of kale and garlic.
Breakfast is always the most highly anticipated meal of the day when you always have fresh eggs.
The rocks we have surrounded our keyhole bed with capture an enormous amount of solar energy. Once we raise the beds a little bit more, they will probably be a constant 10 degrees warmer, extending our growing season by at least a month.
Red Norland potatoes, cut up and ready to go in the soil.
South-facing view.
Soil thermometer.
62 degrees is plenty warm for most early seeds!
The potatoes, finally at home.
I also found this new technique for cooking grains and cereal:
With the locally sourced food stuffs from Camus Country Mill (the same place we get cheap chicken scratch, interestingly enough), a cheap, healthy, and energy efficient meal is always on hand.Is anyone of our readers familiar with this method? If so, what are your favorite recipes?
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