I saw these tracks and thought they looked unusual. After consulting the field guide I first decided they were gray fox tracks. But then I talked myself out of it, deciding they were more likely one of the local cats. But last week, driving out around 10pm guess what ran in front of the trucK? Sure enough, a gray fox. So I was right!
Leslie and I had a great time at the Bronx Botanical Garden viewing this year’s orchid show. What an overwhelming experience. The sheer numbers of perfect plant and flowers is amazing. I can barely keep my handful of plants looking good — here there were dozens of perfect specimen of just one variety, and dozens of varieties. And they all were displayed amidst the regular trees and displays that are a regular part of the conservatory which gives a nice feel for how the orchids grow in the wild. Check out the full set of photos.
It was a little crowded. If you plan to go, and can manage a day off during the week, I highly recommend it. The gift show has a great variety of orchids for sale along with orchid how-to books. Everything to get you started down the path!
At the Van Wilgrens spring garden show today I won an Odontoglossum orchid (at least I think that is what it is) from the CT Orchid Society booth. Heading to the Bronx Botanical Garden tomorrow for their Orchid show.
I picked up a couple of broccoli plants today and planted them with black plastic mulch and recycled cloches to help them get started. I haven’t had much luck with broccoli in past years, but we’ll see…
An article in today’s New York Times Magazine tells the story of a crop mob. This mob is a group of volunteers that band together to help a local sustainable farmer with a day’s worth of work — moving dirt, clearing brush, setting up a greenhouse, whatever needs doing that a band of well-intentioned workers can knock off in a day. Of course this is a great help to the farmer. But it is also rewarding to see people taking such an interest in local agriculture. Traditional small-scale agriculture protects open space, natural resources, and property values while providing fresh, healthy food food to the community. It is nice to see communities start to show how they value these benefits with a little sweat.
By the end of the afternoon, the transformation was remarkable. The towering piles of soil and mulch had dwindled to child’s height. The greenhouse beds were filled and the walls framed out by older volunteers who knew what to do with the table saw… Thickets and trees were removed from the edge of a field, a bonfire built from the haul. Garden rows were tidied while someone sang… The dreary mess of winter had been cleared to make way for a well-ordered spring.
Crop Mob is primarily a group of young, landless, and wannabe farmers who come together to work and build an interconnected agrarian community. Crop Mob is also a group of experienced farmers and gardeners sharing knowledge with their peers and the next generation of agrarians. The Crop Mob is open to all regardless of experience, background or age as it is intended to be a community effort.
Last year I crowded the onions in their bed — the problem was I didn’t really have a good place to put them when the plants arrived. We had an OK harvest, and they tasted great. But I want to do a little better this year. So we laid out a 3′ x 25′ bed on the lawn and so far have piled it up with compost and fresh goat manure. In early March I’ll add a 6″ wood border all around to hold things in, and top it off with some soil.
The bed will host the Yellow Sweet Spanish Hybrid Onion Plants I just ordered from Gurneys, the Red Wethersfield sets from KitchenGardens, and I will once again try some from seed. So far I have had no success with onions from seed, but maybe this will be the year. We pretty quickly ate our way through last year’s onion harvest, so I’m hoping for a bigger, and longer yield this time around.
Ethan and I went on a fertilizer gathering run last weekend — fresh goat manure from Joan’s goats. All we (mostly me) had to do was shovel it off the bottom of their stall. Somehow Joan seemed delighted to have us there to handle the removal — imagine that! One can’s worth is already spread out over the new designated onion bed — two others waiting for the season to start.
The Winter edition of Edible Nutmeg arrived yesterday. It is an excellent magazine which always has good information regarding food and agriculture around Connecticut. Tonight Ethan followed their recipe for Yogurt Chicken Fingers, which were excellent. And simple too.
Today I put in the first seeds in the cold frame. Spinach, Swiss Chard, Arugula and Kale. The soil was warm and moist, having been warming under the cover for 4 weeks now.
