It's About More Than Food

With the arrival of spring, I have decided to take this blog post in a new direction, enlarging our vision of "sustainablility" as it applies to people in their everyday lives. If preserving our planet's ecosystems and biodiversity for future generations is important enough to you that you spend your weekends growing food and you teach your kids how to raise chickens in the backyard, I hope you will join me in a renewed quest to define the goals of a sustainable society and to explore ways to achieve those goals.

Since its inception, I have wanted this blog to be about sustainability and leaving the world a better place than when we found it. Perhaps the most significant way in which one can interact directly with the surrounding environment is through growing some of your own food at home. Home food production is in numerous ways both good for the environment and for the individual, and is fast becoming the number one home-based leisure pursuit. That is good news.

Now for the bad news, growing your own food, riding a bike to work and recycling will not save the planet. While it is better for the earth that you do these things rather than not doing them, the collective effort of even millions of people will not be enough to stop the wanton destruction of our only home.

Our best hope for a better future for our grandchildren and their grandchildren in turn can only be realized through change in our political and social consciousness. The scale of climate change, species loss, pollution, and deforestation are all global. As the citizens of the world's richest and most powerful country, we have an obligation to ourselves and the rest of the biosphere to do everything we can to alter the dangerous course down which many among our politicians and uber-capitalists would have us tread. Corporations and institutions which do not have the best interests of the world and it people in mind when constructing policy are the real power centers in our so-called democracy, and they are presently doing everything possible to reduce the rest of us to minions.

The profound damages resulting from industrial agriculture, resource extraction, and the discharge of waste products into the commons must be eliminated where possible and mitigated otherwise, or else we are headed for a catastrophe that will make World War II look like an across-the-fence spat. But before we can do any of these things, we have to elect leaders who, at the very minimum, look to science and established facts when formulating policy, and not to some arbitrary ideology. To base our national policies on anything other than the best information science can provide is worse than crazy. It is suicidal.

In the coming weeks, I will be offering information and opinions on certain policy issues, in addition to advice on growing and preparing food at home. Please join the conversation. Post your comments and opinions, also.

Have a Sustainable Holiday Season

Now that the turkey roaster (or deep fryer) has been put away, the tetrazzini or hash consumed, and the good dishes washed and stored, it is time to think about the Christmas season. Our neighbors have been putting up decorations this weekend, which gave me the notion to blog about sustainable Christmas decorations.

Your first choice should be the evergreens in your yard, or perhaps that of someone you know. Fresh cut pine boughs, along with spruce and Leyland cypress, are likely to be the most widely available. Don't overlook broadleaf evergreens, such as holly, also. Just take care not to remove too much foliage from any one tree or shrub. If someone you know is pruing or removing a tree, take advantage of the bonanza. Freshly cut evergreen boughs will remain green and pretty longest if they are stored in a cold, dark place until you need them. A plastic storage box on the back porch would be ideal.

You can use florist wire to form individual branches into garlands, or to secure branches to a wire form to make a wreath.

Another time-honored way to make Christmas decorations is to use pine cones, sweet gum fruits, acorns, nuts and other natural objects creatively. A bit of red ribbon and some silver paint turns a pine cone into a decoration.

If you are not the creative type, seek out seasonal decor at the farmer's market or produce stand. You will find an array of wreaths, garlands, and other items, all crafted locally. Also visit a local, independent garden center for blooms, such as poinsettia and Christmas cactus, to help brighten up your all-natural holiday.

When it comes to lights, we do recommend taking advantage of available technology. LED holiday lights consume a tiny fraction of the electricity of their forebears, and do not pose a fire hazard, as candles do.

If you do choose to purchase holiday items, consider that plastics not only require fossil fuels as raw materials, but also for the manufacturing process and to transport them here from Asia.

Let's all work together to make this holiday season a sustainable one.

Our Living Deck Canopy

Way back in 2011, we bought one of those deck canopies with the nylon roof and mosquito netting all around from a big box retailer for whom one of us worked at the time. With employee and other discounts, I think the cost was about $200. The very first winter, we left the nylon roof in place and it was destroyed by snow load. Such is life. We should have taken it down, as the instructions warned us.

So the following year, we searched and searched and searched for the replacement roof. We still had the mosquito netting curtains, and we were certainly not going to toss out the steel frame. We managed to find a less-than-satisfactory replacement roof. It fit, kind of, and would keep us from getting wet. Trouble is, the replacement roof was not treated to withstand ultraviolet light, as the first one had been. Thus, by fall, it was looking faded and had begun to develop small tears here and there. We had to toss it, and by this time the cats had taken a toll on the curtains, too We were left with only the black steel skeleton. We tried hanging baskets and shelves full of potted plants during 2013, and darn near ruined our deck with all the watering and fertilizer.

Faced with the prospect of having to dismantle and discard the entire thing, we decided to give it one last chance. Jerry made a string trellis by attaching sisal twine to the edges of the deck, and running it up to the top of the canopy frame. He also criss-crossed the roof supports with twine. This was done back in April. As soon as the weather was warm and settled, in early May, I planted seeds of two types of gourds in the soil at the edges of the deck. Along one side I planted three hills of "martin" gourds. These make a pear-shaped fruit just right for conversion to a purple martin house by cutting a hole in one side. Along the other side, I placed two hills of luffa gourds. These are the source of the all-natural luffa bath "sponge."  The accompanying photos show the "roof" from above and below, last Friday. The foliage is dense enough to prevent light rain from hitting us, and the shade is dense, cool and perfect for the miserable, muggy July weather around here. You can see, if you look closely, that fruits are beginning to form. They will hang down inside the canopy like Chinese lanterns. So far, we have had no luffa gourds, although their bright yellow male flowers have appeared in abundance. As you can see from the photo, the martin gourd flowers are white. The majority of the flowers open at night, leading us to suspect they are pollinated by moths, as well as the small bees we see on them during the daytime.

The gourds have made such an interesting and beautiful canopy, we plan to try other vines next year. It would be unwise to grow gourds repeatedly in the same spot, so next year we will try runner beans and/or hyacinth beans, to help restore the soil fertility. Gourds need heat, water, and rich soil to create that huge mass of foliage. For the earliest possible start on the season, plant the seeds indoors in peat pots. They will need about 30 days after germination to get large enough to transplant. The plants should go in the ground in early to mid-May, when the soil is warm and the weather is settled. Leave them until frost kills the vines, at which time the ripened gourds can be harvested. Martin gourds will keep all winter in a warm, dry location, and can be used for all sorts of craft projects, not just birdhouses.

We are learning about luffa and will have more to day about this gourd as our experience increases.

One of the best things about this canopy is the cost. The ill-fitting replaccement roof we ordered was about $75. Two packets of gourd seed set us back less than three bucks, and I still have seeds left for next year.

Perfect Days for Gardening

Our exceptionally pleasant fall weather continues. The low humidity has led to the need for some irrigation, but we will gladly buy the water in exchange for less mugginess. Already I am harvesting baby arugula, along with Sugar Snap peas, the last of the leeks and okra. The bak choy is coming on strong, and we will be able to pick a few leaves of kale within another week or so.

This weekend I planted out lettuce, cilantro, scallions and spinach that were started in cell trays September 7th. With rain on the way, the timing should be perfect. Mache growing in the greenhouse will soon be ready to transplant. I start the seeds in a 6 X 30 planter and transplant to thin them. The ones left behind in the planter will mature about ten days earlier than the transplants, extending the harvest to a month or so.

Many people do not transplant spinach, direct sowing instead. I find we get a bigger harvest with less work when we transplant and give the plants growing space. Japanese spinach farmers employ this technique.

We have been amazed at the productivity of the pond. In this year's experiment, we stocked two dozen immature tropical livebearers for mosquito control. By summer's end, we had harvested roughly 500 fish, which were sold to a local aquarium store as "feeders," for predatory pet fish. We moved 7 of the prettiest ones to a small aquarium where they will spend the winter and provide stock for next spring.

We have little interest in food fish, not wanting to have the trouble of cleaning them and dealing with wastes. Nevertheless, it is clear that even a small garden pond could theoretically supply some additional protein. Others who, like us, would prefer to sell live fish rather than dead ones, have the option of producing a small income from the pond by cultivating and harvesting smaller, tropical species. The key to this, of course, is finding an aquarium shop that wants to purchase your stock.

Next season, we intend to construct a growing bed that will filter the pond while providing space for additional crop production. This form of hydroponic growing, known as "aquaponics," uses the fish wastes to fertilize organic vegetables growing in an inert medium. Most of these culture systems rely on inputs of prepared fish foods and operate under the protection of a greenhouse room. Our interest lies in creating systems that can function year round in the local climate zone, with minimal inputs of fish food. By planting flowers and other plants around the pond and providing a diverse community of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants, it should be possible for the system to produce enough algae and insects to feed the fish. Stay tuned.

Notes on Growing Ginger

I have made an interesting observation this season regarding ginger. Back in November, I was excited to find fresh ginger root in the local market. The source was identified as “Mobile, AL.” I grabbed a piece and a couple of days later planted it in a pot. I blogged about it here.

Unfortunately, within about a month that piece of ginger root had rotted in the pot. The holiday season was in full swing, and I did not think about ginger again until January. I bought another piece of root, this time at my local supermarket. My best guess for the source is Hawaii. Unlike the fresh ginger, which has pale yellow skin with deep purple markings (see image at left), this was an older, drier rhizome, with the more familiar brown skin. Nevertheless, I could see several pale green “eyes” telling me it was still very much alive. I planted it in the same pot as the previous specimen, on January 5, 2013. Today I noticed the first green shoot protruding above the soil line.

One would have thought the much fresher specimen from Alabama would have been the better bet, but it occurred to me that ginger typically goes through a dormant period at the end of the growing season, which corresponds to the dry season in its native habitat. The rhizomes need a cool, dry rest period in order to resume growth when water is again available. I should have left the fresh ginger on the shelf for a few weeks before planting. A dry rest would also have allowed the skin to toughen, reducing the likelihood of access to rot-causing bacteria. I’m guessing the Hawaiian product was dug in September and allowed to cure in order to enhance its keeping qualities. 

It is also possible the first batch of ginger was exposed to temperatures too cold for survival. Ginger, like onions, stores best under dry and cool, but not frigid, conditions.

Whatever the reason for my original failure, if you’ve had a similar experience, now is the time to try, try again. We should still be able to get a decent crop before next fall if rhizomes are started indoors now.  But time is, of course, running out.

February Planting Tips

Before we know it, it will be time to plant peas. I absolutely adore sugar snap peas, and typically eat about half of them right off the vine. One planting with good care will produce an abundance of delicious pods for several weeks in late spring. Look for the traditional 'Sugar Snap' for best flavor. The vines grow really tall, so be sure to provide a suitable trellis. Peas climb with tendrils, and like relatively narrow supports, a quarter inch or less in diameter. Trellises made of string or wire work best. A trellis net with 6-inch openings works well. You can find nylon ones at most garden centers, or you can order a jute trellis online from Gardener's Supply. The advantage of the jute is that it can be cut down and composted at the end of the season. The alternative is tediously removing the plants from the nylon trellis without snapping one of the strands. If you are up to that task, however, the nylon will last several seasons.

Mid-February is also the time to plant beets, chard, carrots, onions and brassica transplants in Zone 7. If you live in Zone 6, wait a couple of weeks longer.

Asparagus crowns should also be planted in February. This ancient and delicious crop needs deep, rich, well-drained soil in full sun. Look for an all male variety to avoid seedlings, which can crowd out their parents. Because they invest no energy in seed production, male plants yield a bigger harvest than their female counterparts. Asparagus is hardy and relatively easy to grow in east Tennessee, and I am always surprised that more people don’t try it. I am looking forward to planting our first patch this season. We have not grown asparagus for over a decade, and decided to make room in our latest landscape plan for an asparagus bed. Park Seed Company offers ‘Jersey Knight’, a hybrid, all-male cultivar with multiple disease resistance, and ‘Jersey Supreme’ a similar strain with the added benefit of rapid growth. As a rule, asparagus can be harvested during the third spring from planting. Jersey Supreme can be harvested a year earlier, and so is the best choice for the impatient gardener. Plant this season, harvest in 2014 and thereafter.

You can find a complete vegetable planting schedule for Zones 5 through 8, by yours truly, in the February issue of Tennessee Gardener magazine.

Join Me for "Garden Talk" December 22

Please join me for "Garden Talk" on WNOX-FM 100.3 tomorrow (December 22nd) beginning at 8:00 AM. I will be co-hosting with Dr. Sue Hamilton, Director of UT Gardens. Listeners can call in with their gardening questions.

I will be posting information and questions/answers from the program on this blog tomorrow afternoon.

Garden Talk is sponsored by Stanley's Greenhouses. If you haven't seen what 50,000+ poinsettias in one place looks like, you should pay them a visit. I was there earlier in the week and the scene is stunningly beautiful. No pictures. You gotta go see for yourself.

Food Gardens and Curb Appeal

People often say to me they would grow more veggies but they don’t like the look of vegetable gardens. What they undoubtedly have in mind is the traditional garden with rows of beans on poles and caged tomatoes. While gardens like that have a certain charm, one would look out of place in front of the typical suburban home. I recently had this discussion with a friend of mine who is thinking about growing garlic next year, but worried that it would not look very pretty in the yard. As the photo from UT Gardens illustrates, food gardens need not be boring and ugly.

Here are some of the points I made:

1) Garlic is not ugly; it just doesn’t offer much to the eye. But that is also true of, say irises, when they are out of bloom. One way to deal with this issue in the design of the landscape is to surround the boring thing with something eye-catching. Annual flowers are cheap, readily available, and in many cases edible. They also come in a sufficient array of colors as to work with any other features of the landscape. Another approach to redirecting the eye is to create a focal point in the middle of the bed. For this, you could use a daylily. They are perennial, carefree, and edible. They also come in a wide range of colors, to blend with existing plantings, if necessary.

2) Very low-maintenance plantings can be created with perennial herbs. You get flavor, seasonal flowers and foliage all year from rosemary, French thyme and Greek oregano.

3) Lettuces, annual herbs (basil, cilantro, dill, parsley) and numerous other salad greens are highly decorative, although more trouble to grow than perennial herbs.

4) Another possibility is strawberries.  They remain compact, bear all season long and have brightly colored foliage at this time of year.

These are but a few examples of things that could combine with a garlic patch to render it not only attractive, but also productive, easily repaying the costs involved by food production. Furthermore, the spot will be re-used year after year, and consequently will get better and better at production as the soil improves. This seems to me to call for a permanent border, so why not have one that is also productive?

Also, please remember that a food garden need not be rectangular in shape nor laid out in rows. Free form designs, or anything that works with existing landscaping is the way to go. But instead of filling with flowers and shrubs, you fill with food plants that perform the same visual functions in the landscape.

You can find a lot more tips on attractive food gardens in The New American Homestead. It is available both in paperback and as an e-book wherever books are sold.

Let me please offer one more observation that I hope will be encouraging: a successful food garden  more often results from a lot of mental effort rather than a lot of physical effort. If well designed, a space the size of my parlor rug could produce an amazing quantity of fresh food.

 

Indian Summer

Indian Summer has brought splendid foliage to the Valley, and we have been harvesting our best fall lettuce in years. Warm, sunny days and cool nights have given us all the salad we can eat.  Bak choy is ready to harvest in the greenhouse, and broccoli is producing heads. Cauliflower remains iffy. We may or may not get a crop. I have made a note to start the cauliflower a bit later next year. The late summer weather raised the temperature in the greenhouse into the 80s, which may have adversely affected the plants.

We may get our first frost next week, however. This will slow down lettuce, as well as our other late crops, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, dill, parsley, spinach and Swiss chard, but none of them are likely to be seriously damaged by the light frosts we can expect between now and Thanksgiving. That should be enough time for the crops to mature. The cooler temps may also induce the cauliflower to bloom. We will keep our fingers crossed. In any case, based on historical data, the first frost is arriving about ten days later than usual this year, following the fourth warmest summer in the lower 48 states since record keeping began in 1895. Does this mean we will have a milder winter than usual?

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac the weather here in the Central South will be cooler and snowier than usual. The entire Southeast, they say, will be “wet and chilly.” Accuweather says essentially the same thing. Here’s the map they posted for the upcoming season. Long term weather prediction is an inexact science, to say the least. Last year, Accuweather made headlines for being wrong.

We will take the mild weather for as long as we can get it. Besides lettuce, we are also harvesting baby beet and spinach greens, and our first crop of arugula is ready to pick today. I will make a delicious fall salad with dinner tonight. Thinning will allow the beets and spinach room to grow, which both will continue to do despite cold weather, as will the carrots. Last winter, we had carrots and spinach all season long from fall sown seeds. We just left the plants in their beds and harvested them as needed.

Protected by the greenhouse, sweet bell peppers, long frying peppers and pimentos continue to yield heavily. Fortunately, peppers are easy to freeze for later use. Just stem, seed, and rinse them. Dry well and pack into freezer containers, label and freeze. That's it. I also can relish made out of the pimentos for making the best pimento cheese you've ever eaten. (The recipe is on our In the Kitchen page.) We have been particularly impressed with the quality of 'Ashe County Pimento', a pepper we obtained from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange to try this year. It produces uniform, deep red, thick walled fruits with a small seed core and almost no blemishes. They look like tomatoes near the top of the image at left, showing part of one day's harvest last week. I have already made all the relish we will use through the winter, but the shape and size makes these peppers ideal for stuffing, also. We will definitely grow this one again next year. Two plants have provided all we need, and they are compact growers into the bargain. All our peppers have done extremely well with protection in the greenhouse.

Winter Garden Tips

As a general rule, the shorter days and colder temperatures of winter greatly reduce plants’ demand for water. Unless you observe potential wilting, you can reduce irrigation in raised beds to about half what it was during the summer, or even less. Cold, soggy soil will damage roots and spoil crops like carrots, beets and turnips. When in doubt, hold off on the water.

Similarly, plants need far less fertilizer now, because growth rates are slow. This is the best time to use organic fertilizers such as cottonseed meal, greensand, and phosphate rock. Their slow breakdown releases soil nutrients in the constant, small amounts plants need at this time of year.

Ideas From “Garden Talk”

I had great fun last Saturday morning on “Garden Talk” with Dr. Sue Hamilton on WNOX 100.3 FM. Our guest was Nancy Schneider from Stanley’s Greenhouse. We had a great discussion about re-blooming azaleas, like the wonderful “Encore” series that blooms three times a year, and likes full sun. One idea that came out of that discussion was to incorporate blueberries into azalea plantings. The two shrubs are in the same family and like the same growing conditions: moist, well-drained, acidic soil in full sun. The autumn coloration of the blueberry foliage compliments the colors of the azalea blooms.

We had several callers with questions and comments covering a range of topics. I’ll be co-hosting “Garden Talk” again tomorrow (October 27^th) morning, at 8:05 AM. Join us and call in with your questions.

Adding a Pond To Your Garden

One of the most exciting projects we have going this fall is completing our garden pond. It all started when we decided to remove a pine tree that had been inconveniently placed by a previous owner of our home. When the stump came out, we were left with a hole in the ground. My partner loves to dig so much you’d think he was a badger, so he has enlarged the excavation bit by bit over the past couple of years. (At our age, shovel and wheelbarrow work has to be done in small episodes.) To begin constuction, we first establish the highest water level, then we work outward in opposite directions from that point, laying a row of cinder block to form the top edge of the pond. We have seen photos of pond construction in which the soil itself was cut and contoured. Not only is this hard work, it is difficult on a sloping site. Using cinder blocks makes the job much easier. These are "FHA" blocks, with a solid concrete bottom. Once leveled on compacted soil, they stay in place better than standard blocks.

(As the image illustrates, all construction work on the property is overseen by PJ, our Boston terrier.) It is essential to the appearance of the finished pond that the top rim be as level as you can make it all the way around. Otherwise, the liner will be visible above the water line if you leave a low spot, and this will ruin the "natural" effect. Once the top course of blocks is in place, the remaining levels can be installed using the top course as a reference.

The pond will have three levels when completed. The deepest area in the center will be kept free of plantings, and will hold the pump for a planned small waterfall. The waterfall serves not only a decorative function, but also oxygenates the water.

The second level will hold tubs planted with water lilies. We plan on using only two or three compact-sized varieties. Otherwise, the pond can become overcrowded in too short a time frame. As a rule, water lilies should be divided and repotted every three years. This can be a daunting task, as they can grow profusely in that time. On the other hand, lily pads shade the pond, which helps keep the water cool for the fish and lessens algae growth. We recommend that about two thirds of the surface be covered. The upper level is for emergent plants. These are species, such as cattails, that like wet feet but grow up from the water surface. We have dozens of varieties of such plants to choose from, and our research is ongoing. We will be posting a complete planting list here, once we have our plans completed.

The current grade slopes slightly, so we have constructed a retaining wall on the uphill side of the pond. The surrounding area will be brought up to the level of this wall and re-paved.  We are using precast concrete pavers set on a gravel base. Pavers are not only easy to install without heavy equipment, they are also pervious to rainfall, and don’t interfere with natural drainage. Posts for a guardrail will be installed before paving. The wooden arch bridge in the lower right corner of the image will be replaced with a new bridge. Up to this point, it has served to get across the French drain that carries water away from this side of the house. This water will now be stored in the pond. We can re-direct the flow into another French drain when needed by means of a water gate. The excavation for the overflow is barely visible at the right of the image. It will have the appearance of a creek bed when completed and will direct water to a bed of moisture loving plants, such as cardinal flower.

The pond will now be allowed to settle for a few weeks before we install the liner. Once the liner is in place the pond will be filled with water and again allowed to settle before we begin the fun part: installing the natural stone coping and rock work. The finishing touches will allow the pond to blend with the rest of the nature inspired landscape in our back yard. We will also have "planting pockets" here and there in the rock work.

We will have more to say about garden pond construction and maintenance in future posts. A small pond is a great way to put into practice the permaculture principle of increasing diversity in the landscape. Besides plants both edible and ornamental, and fish, a pond offers habitat for dozens of varieties of insects and amphibians, along with countless micro-organisms and tiny invertebrates. Properly sited, a pond can assist with water management and make great use of an otherwise marginally productive area. Using marginal areas is another principle of permaculture.

Food Fight

The Irish are fighting, and I am not referring to the Notre Dame football team.  At odds, according to the BBC, are organic farmers and government agriculture officials who want to field test genetically modified (GM) potatoes. Organic farmers, concerned about unleashing harmful genes into the environment, and the potential for “contamination” of their organic crops with GM ones, have launched a firestorm of angry rhetoric.

What the government scientists want to do is grow a small plot of potatoes that have received genes from a wild potato variety in an attempt to confer resistance to late blight, arguably the most destructive potato disease, and one that is beginning to develop resistance to existing control methods. Because the genetic manipulation was done in a few weeks in the laboratory, rather than over a period of two decades of traditional plant breeding, GM opponents are upset.

The debate in Ireland offers an all-too-common example of politics trumping science. The type of genetic manipulation being done with potatoes is known as “cis-genic,” meaning a transfer of genes between species that are closely related to each other. This is essentially traditional agricultural breeding, speeded up via modern technology. It is a technique unlikey to produce “Frankenfood.”

It is ironic that much of the concern over GM varieties and organic agriculture represents unintended consequences of government regulation that was initially requested by farmers themselves. Organic farming was well out of the mainstream 40 years ago when I first started learning about it. As the 60s generation grew up, the market for organic foods grew also. Advertisers began throwing around health and nutritional claims related to “organic” foods, and soon the organic farmers began clamoring to have their brand (which at the time could command a 50% premium over market prices) protected. So the USDA finally came up with a program for organic food certification. In the intervening years, this has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of supporting the small farmers who were producing artisanal products, the rules began shutting them out of the market and favoring big companies who could afford not only the high cost of certification, but also the  futures contracting power necessary to arrange for, say, 50 tons of organic wheat flour.

If you go to the farmer’s market, you are likely to find only one or two certified organic farmers. Most vendors are advertising themselves as “pesticide free” (= we sometimes use chemical fertilizer), “naturally farmed”(=we try to be as conscientious as possible), “biodynamic” (=naturally farmed, rama dama ding dong), and so forth. It costs several thousand dollars to certify a farm, and sweet corn is $5 a dozen ears. Do the math.

One of the tenets of organic production is a prohibition on GM crop varieties. No distinction is made between cis-genic modifications (equivalent to modern plant breeding on fast forward) versus trans-genic modifications (putting bacterial genes into corn plants).   Let us note, further, that the Ireland dust-up is over a carefully planned trial on a relatively minuscule acreage. The potato is self-fertile, so the wind cannot carry pollen from the fields. Upon rare occasion, members of the potato family are pollinated by flying insects, but separating the fields by a couple of miles solves that tiny concern. Yet, this experiment will have “grave consequences” for Irish agriculture, according to some.

With all that in mind, take a look, please, at the image at right. This is a tetra, Hyphessobrycon eques, a South American fish that has been in the aquarium trade for decades. It happens also to be albino. This particular fish, however, has had a bacterial gene for bioluminescence spliced in, and therefore it glows in the dark. I shot this photo at a local aquarium store. They have a tank full, along with albino zebra danio fish that also carry the bacterial glow-gene. Cute, huh? They sell like hotcakes, too, according to the store manager.

These fish are typically produced in Asia, shipped as small fry to Florida, grown to market size in outdoor ponds, and shipped to stores all over the country. During that entire cycle, no regulation, other than the strictly routine fish import permit, affects who may handle these fish and what they may do with them. Should a flood happen in east-central Florida (perhaps due to excessive rain from a hurricane), these fish could easily enter a river system and establish themselves. Although they would have nothing to interbreed with, as there are no tetras native to North America, their potential ecological impact is unknown. Numerous other species of tropical fish have established themselves in Florida waters, both fresh and marine, and some have caused serious problems.

One concern with all genetic modification is that it is difficult, although not impossible, to know if additional genes, of unknown effect, are present on the piece of DNA spliced in. Probably not, but still…you would need a complete DNA sequence of both this fish and a normal one for comparison. Given that two genes can be adjacent to each other and have wildly different biological effects, there is potential for harm. I’m willing to bet no such study has ever been done on these fish. I have no data for the tetra, but human beings share 85% of their genes in common with the zebra danio fish, so in the case of the tetra it should be similar. No apparent concern exists about importing thousands of these fish for pet stores everywhere, either.

I find it ironic that people get emotional about cis-genic potatoes, and think nothing of moving trans-genic animals all over the world, willy-nilly. Trans-genic plants are everywhere, too. The noteworthy “Mosquito Plant” which turns up in garden centers every spring, is a trans-genic variety. It is a geranium with citronella genes stitched in. Although there is no evidence the plant does anything to repel mosquitoes, people buy them. No outcry over “Frankenplants.”

In the United States, almost everyone eats GM foods without knowing it. If you consume French fries, corn chips and just about anything fried in a restaurant, you have very likely consumed GM corn, potatoes, and soybean oil. There is no requirement for food producers to label foods as containing GM ingredients. This, it seems to me, errs too far in the direction opposite an outright ban on GM foods.

There are some serious questions regarding the wisdom of allowing trans-genic hybrids into the environment, despite the fact that the horses are already out of the barn in many cases. We need more public discourse on the whole issue of GM organisms in food, what “organic” should really mean, and what regulatory structures might be most appropriate. People also need a better understanding, in general, of what GM actually invovles, on a species by species basis. And all of this needs to be approached without hysteria about “grave consequences” from either side.

Please add your comments to the discussion. What do you think about GM foods?

Life and Death In the Garden

Cicada Killer Wasp

I walked out to the garden on a hot afternoon earlier this week and was confronted, or rather, investigated, by a giant wasp. No, this is not a science fiction story. The wasp in question was an eastern cicada killer, Sphecius speciosus.  At over two inches in length and marked with warning coloration like other wasps and hornets, this insect generally elicits alarm when it shows up in the garden. Fear not, however, as the energetic, territorial males—such as the one that approached me—have no sting, and are aggressive only toward other male wasps in the vicinity. They investigate any movement in their field of vision, however, and have no fear of humans. I was unable to get a shot, due to the frenetic activity. The image posted is from Texas A&M's web site. Female cicada killers have the ability to sting, but are so docile they can be picked up safely. Unless roughly handled, the wasp saves her sting for her prey, any of the several species of cicada that inhabit our area. Cicadas are paralyzed by the sting, and stored in a burrow dug by the female, where they serve as food for the wasp’s developing larvae. If you have male wasps in the garden, it is almost certain that you will also find the burrows made by the females. The entrance hole is about an inch in diameter, and there is usually a lot of spoil lying at the entrance, where the soil removed by the wasp was deposited. They like to locate them under flat stones or the surface roots of trees, for added protection. If you watch the entrance for a while, you may see a female laboriously hauling in a cicada. Cicada killer wasps are beneficial insects because cicadas can damage some crops and turfgrasses. The wasps are extremely unlikely to harm a human, and so should be welcomed into the garden.

Velvet "Ant" Wasp

Another interesting wasp typically appears at about this time each summer. It is the eastern velvet ant, Dasymutilla occidentalis, which only resembles an ant superficially. So far, I have only observed the males, which are easy to distinguish because they have wings. The wingless females spend their time on the ground searching for the burrows of solitary bumblebees. When she finds one, the female enters the burrow and lays her eggs on the developing pupae of the bumblebee. In so doing, she helps to control the bee population.

Owing to their bright red and black coloration, these insects are hard to mistake for anything else. Males have no stinger, but the females carry a sting so painful it is said to hurt “bad enough to kill a cow.” This has earned the name, “cow killer ant” for the bug, although it poses no actual threat of harm to a cow. More likely, the venom evolved to discourage insectivorous mammals, like shrews and possums. As with many venomous insects, the velvet ant advertises its weaponry with bright coloration and alternating stripes. Fortunately, the female velvet ant is so dedicated in her search for prey that she poses no threat to humans. Simply avoid her, and you won’t have anything to worry about.

A garden with many plant species and numerous micro-habitats within it will support many varieties of insects. Most will be either neutral or beneficial, as far as your food crops are concerned, and their presence will help to deter serious pests, like squash bugs. Finding a diversity of insects in the garden is a sign that you are managing your homestead wisely.

Learn more about cicada killers here. Learn more about velvet ants here.

Beating the Heat

I do not claim to be able to fortell the future, but I was certainly anticipating a hot summer when I filled this old firepit with soil and planted a collection of heat-loving annuals. Since the planter was once a firepit, I chose a fire-inspired color scheme. Black coals, gray ash, yellow sparks and red flames, supplied, respectively by petunia, dusty miller, lantana and coleus. All of these are southern favorites owing to their tolerance of heat and humidity. This summer, they are getting a real workout!

We have been days without rain here in the Tennessee Valley, although some folks have had the benefit of afternoon showers that are a common feature of summer weather around here. In my particular case, we have had no measurable rain in the garden for two weeks, and have been irrigating like mad. Despite the irrigation, the soil is drying out and cracking in places. Shrubs and trees are showing signs of heat and drought stress. No amount of irrigation can make up for a good, soaking rain.

Vegetable production continues largely because of our irrigation. We used 5600 gallons of water last month, according to our utility. This month, I expect the total to be at least double that amount. Fortunately for us, the utility caps sewer charges at 6500 gallons during June, July and August, so gardeners get a small break on the water bill (as do swimming pool owners and habitual car washers).

Fresh, potable water is a precious resource in most of the world, a fact lost on us in Tennessee, where waer is abundant. The city of Knoxville removes barely a tenth of the water that flows past us in the Tennessee River each day. With average rainfall around an inch per week during normal times, we are poster children for the old adage that water is never missed until there is a dry spell. But we gardeners really should always be thinking about saving water, not only because conserving saves money, but because waste is inconsistent with sustainable living. Here are some tips for reducing your water consumption this summer:

Install rain barrels or a holding pond to collect and manage runoff from your roof. It will rain again, eventually, providing you with free water.

Mulch, mulch, mulch. Although much of the water lost from the soil is transpired by plants growing there, mulch helps to keep soil moisture relatively constant between irrigation or rain events. This is important for summer crops like tomatoes and cucumbers that appreciate evenly moist soil.

Irrigate early in the morning or late in the day to minimize losses from evaporation. Use a hand held hose sprayer, rather than an overhead sprinkler. This allows you to give some plants more water, and hold back on water for the more tolerant denizens of the garden. Sprinklers waste a lot of water that evaporates before it reaches the ground, especially on punishingly hot days like we have had lately.

Anticipate summer dry spells and include drought-tolerant plants in major plantings. Most trees and shrubs, especially those native to the region, fare well in summer once established. If you have plants that demand irrigation just to stay alive, consider if they are worth the effort or if you might be wiser to replace them.

After the above was written, the weather finally broke. Thursday evening, July 5, we received 0.66 inches of rain. Unfortunately, the weather system that brought us rain and winds also brought far more severe weather in other parts of the region. Two people died in the Great Smoky Mountains. We accept the rain with gratitude, and count our blessings.

Bloomsdays A Great Success

Bloomsdays at UT Gardens last weekend was a great success despite the rainy weather on Sunday. Saturday morning saw crowds thronging around the many booths, with vendors offering plants, garden art, and much more. The annual event just gets better and better.

James Newburn, Assistant Director of UT Gardens, told me they have hired a part-time person whose efforts are devoted exclusively to the Kitchen Garden. As you can see from the image at left, this is a large area with raised beds and many other features that would be the envy of any dedicated veggie grower. The buildings visible at the far end include two storage sheds and a shaded spot planted with mints. A rain barrel catches water from the roofs in this area, and there is a weather station housed in one of the sheds. The entire space is enclosed in a picket fence, with compost bins built along one side. Outside the fence, on the left side in this view, the staff has planted blackberries, raspberries and elderberries.

All the plantings integrate herbs, flowers and vegetables. Although it is mid-May, the beds were already hosting tomato, squash, cucumber and okra plants no doubt started in the greenhouses adjacent to the Gardens.

The Kitchen Garden illustrates virtually all of the design techniques that one might want to use. If only we all had this much space! And not everyone I have talked to likes the purple paint, but each to his own tastes.

Here's a shot of the raspberries outside the kitchen garden.

UT Farmers Market

On the Wednesday following Bloomsdays, May 16th, the UT Farmers' Market opened at UT Gardens. Complete with music from a banjo and guitar duo, the market offers produce from UT crop production classes, along with creations from the UT Culinary Institute and food and craft items from about a dozen local vendors. Some of these were familiar from other area farmers' markets, but not all.

The market is held at the Gardens every Wednesday from 4:00-7:00 PM from now until October 24.

Bees, Butterflies, and Pesticides

Evidence is mounting that widespread use of supposedly "safe" chemical pesticides may lie at the root of the problems currently being experienced by beekeepers. One report can be found here. The study mentioned in this report found that feeding bees artificial nectar spiked with the neonicotinid insecticide imidocloprid in tiny amounts resulted in bee behavior like that associated with colony collapse disorder. While the maker of the insecticide, Bayer, debunks the study, I cannot help but wonder if we are ingesting this pesticide any time we consume a product containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Traces of imidocloprid can be found in commercial HFCS, according to the author of the study.

Neonicotinid pesticides mimic the nicotine found in tobacco, a natural pesticide that affects a great many types of insects. Nicotine is particularly effective against the caterpillars of moths and butterflies, several of which feed on tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes and related crops. An anecdote from my garden a few years ago serves to demonstrate how effective nicotine is. During one particularly bad season for tomatoes, we inadvertently allowed a number of flowering tobacco plants (Nicotiana sylvestris) to grow too near the tomato patch. The sweet scented blooms of the tobacco attracted hornworm moths that laid eggs on both the tobacco and the tomatoes. The caterpillars started munching both types of plants, but those on the tobacco became stunted and died when they were about and inch and a half long, too small to do severe damage to the foliage. Those on the tomatoes, however, thrived, growing much larger and doing considerable damage before we could discover and remove them by hand.

One wonders, therefore, if the severe decline in butterfly abundance, observable to anyone who takes an interest in butterflies from one year to the next, might also be a result of chemicals in the environment. A decade old report found, for example, that pollen from corn genetically engineered to contain a pest-killing substance was harmful to monarch butterflies. How many other products that are commonly applied to lawns, flowerbeds and farms contribute similar effects? No one knows. But everyone agrees that butterfly populations are declining, and last March, this report appeared, suggesting that glyphosate, the active ingredient in herbicides such as Roundup, is seriously affecting monarchs and is turning up in humans, too.

There are a limited number of circumstances under which a home gardener might have to resort to chemical pesticide use. Situations involving noxious weeds already established on the property and ineracdicable by hand cultivation can be handled by spot treatment with glyphosate or triclopyr. Otherwise, I cannot think of a good excuse to use either herbicide.

I can think of NO circumstance under which I would resort to a chemical insecticide, with the possible exception of a termite infestation of my house. And then I would have the treatment done by a professional. In the garden, we have learned that proper husbandry and integrated pest management techniques suffice to protect our vegetable crops, and we only grow ornamental plants that are typically pest-free in our region when properly sited and maintained. Many of our plants are native to the southern Appalachians and have natural resistance to pests and disease.

All home gardeners should follow similar guidelines. Chemical pesticides are both expensive and harmful to wildlife.

Strawberries in Containers

The strawberries we enjoy today result from a long history of selection and hybridization among several of the fifty-odd natural species. Everbearing (or day-neutral) strawberries produce a bumper crop in early summer, another smaller crop in late summer and a few berries here and there throughout the season in between. Because of the long harvest season, they are a good choice for home gardeners.

Regardless of the variety, strawberries grown in the ground must be relocated about every three to five years. The plants are subject to viral disease and pests that can reduce yields significantly. Many of these problems persist in old, dead foliage or in the soil. Regular renewal of the plants and their growing medium offers the best natural defense against these problems. In terms of standard crop rotation, strawberries should be separated by five years from soil that has previously grown any member of the potato family. This is because several important crop diseases are common to the two groups of plants.  Crop rotation can be a real problem for the backyard grower with limited space. In the case of strawberries, container growing offers a great alternative, since plants can be repotted in new, sterile growing mix every season or two.

Plant breeders have produced new lines of strawberries that are better suited to container cultivation than their traditional counterparts. Dutch hybridizers have produced varieties that not only bear luscious, tasty strawberries but also have large, showy flowers. This makes the plants decorative as well as productive. The variety shown in the photo at left is “Tristan.”

Strawberries need full sun and a well-drained sandy soil of slightly acidic pH, about 6.0-6.5. Any good commercial potting mix will work for strawberries, or you can make your own by mixing equal parts of sifted compost, horticultural peat and sand. Rainfall or irrigation should provide an inch or two of water per week during the growing season. Purchase certified disease-free plants in late winter or early spring, before they break dormancy. Although plants will grow and bloom in a small container, choose a pot that holds at least a gallon of growing medium for best results. Smaller containers may need watering more frequently than you would prefer.

I try to avoid the traditional “strawberry jar” (an urn with extra openings in the sides for planting) because they seldom hold enough soil to accommodate the roots of all the berry plants tucked into them. I also avoid hanging baskets, because I find they dry out too quickly and thus demand too much attention during the hot summer months.

Remove runners from container plants as they form. Allow the occasional runner to root in a small pot before detaching it, if you want to increase your stock of plants. Just set the crown of the runner on the soil. When it roots itself sufficiently to resist a gentle tug, cut it free.  Such plants will bear the following season, typically.

Feed everbearing strawberries regularly. Due to the repeated flushing of the container with water, nutrients will be lost. Watering with compost tea or a similar soluble fertilizer every other week will keep plants productive. Or use a timed-release fertilizer.

After the first frost sends plants into dormancy, remove any dead foliage and place the containers in a sheltered spot for the winter. Cover them with a blanket of pine needles or autumn leaves. You can wait until the plants break dormancy to return them to their sunny position on the porch or balcony, or you can bring a plant or two indoors in early January. Place the pots in the sunniest location available, protected from frost. This will allow you to harvest the first berries about a month to six weeks earlier than normal. We currently have berries ripening along with spring lettuce, allowing us to enjoy a delicious salad topped with freshly picked berries. See the accompanying photo of a plant forced as just described, taken yesterday. This plant, by the way, is growing beautifully in a nursery container holding only a half gallon of growing medium, demonstrating how well adapted to container culture this breeding line really is. The variety shown is "Loran." The fruits are slightly tart, and bursting with strawberry flavor. If you get too much rain while fruits are ripening, they tend to become watery. Another advantage to containers is that they can be moved out of the rain when needed, to avoid this problem. 

A well-grown plant in a roomy container can produce about one pound of fruit or more per season. Strawberries can be frozen or made into jam or preserves. Rich in vitamin C and phytochemicals, fresh strawberries can be added to salad or turned into a cold fruit soup (see the recipe below). They also star, of course, in desserts like strawberry shortcake.

Strawberry Soup

For 4 servings:

1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed

2 cups apple or white grape juice

Juice of one small lemon

10 large, fresh mint leaves, plus small leaves for garnish

Salt (if desired)

Sugar (if desired)

Sour cream or yogurt to serve (if desired)

Reserve four perfect strawberries for garnishing the dish. Roughly chop the remaining strawberries and process in a food processor or blender, in batches if necessary, with the juices, the mint leaves and a pinch of salt, until you have a smooth puree. Chill until very cold. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt, lemon juice or sugar, as you deem necessary. Slice the reserved strawberries lengthwise, beginning at the pointed end, stopping before you completely cut through the stem end. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Place a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if using, in the center. Fan out the berries gently and float one on each bowl of soup. Garnish with small mint leaves and serve.

"Serious" Homesteading

Local Food Report
Not much on the local scene this week in the way of fresh produce. Our weekly visit to Three Rivers Market turned up only shiitake, oyster and lion's mane mushrooms from Brewer's Mushrooms in Sevier County.

"Serious" Homesteading
One reviewer (posted at www.facebook.com/NewAmericanHomestead ) says The New American Homestead is "too broad" for anyone "SERIOUSLY" undertaking homesteading. I could not agree more.

Recycling: basic urban homesteading skill

Our intent from the book's inception was to provide a solid overview of the basic skill sets for self-sufficiency, with a stong bias toward horticulture. The book is an introduction to a topic that literally can encompass any "technical" aspect of daily life. We had no choice but to omit some detail. Anyone with the determination to go completely off the grid is probably also intelligent enough to dig up the in-depth, site-specific data they would need to pull it off. This book nevertheless offers all the basic information anyone might need to get started with home food production, togehter with an overview of projects that require a larger investment of time and money, such as keeping bees or chickens. For each topic covered, the existing literature is vast and accessible.

Who's the serious homesteader? I point out in the book that giving up life in or near a city to strike out into the wilderness and live off the land is a romantinc fantasy for all but a few of us. My aim in writing this book is to encourage more people to do more for themselves with the resources available in a urban or suburban setting. I assume, for example, that every household will have utilities and acess to a decent transportation system. Being connected to the municipal water supply does not necessarily imply, however, that I need not trap and conserve rainwater for irrigation purposes.

Living in a high-rise does not, similarly, imply that one should ignore the possibilities for sustainable living. Wheat may be out of the question, but not wheat grass for the cat.

Look for small, slow solutions; one of the principles of permaculture.

The heavy emphasis on horticulture in The New American Homestead stems first from my greater level of knowledge and expertise in this area, compared, say, to apiculture. Secondly, the single most important step anyone can take toward greater sustainability and self-sufficiency is to grow vegetables, herbs and fruits to the extent that climate and resources permit. Commercial production and transportation of food is enormously costly to the environment. By encouraging America's 100 million households to produce whatever they can themselves, we can reduce energy consumption while simultaneously re-awakening our society to the enormous value of wholesome homegrown food. In so doing, we "value the margins," another basic permaculture principle. Suburban and urban landscapes that now consist either of exotic ornamentals or grass are actually in many cases the remnants of land that once grew crops. It is time we reclaimed these spaces for something more useful.

Who, then, is SERIOUS about homesteading? Hats off to the brave souls who head out to the wilderness; their courage is admirable. The rest of us, hoping to achieve a more sustainable existence without giving up our home and community, we're pretty serious about that, too.

Time To Start Seeds

Although it's hard to believe with icy winds blowing outside, the 2012 gardening season is underway. We received our seed order from Southern Exposure this week, and spent a fun hour last evening dividing up the order with a friend who has a great little food garden within walking distance of downtown Knoxville. Here are the new cultivars we picked to try this year:

Beet, Chioggia--An Italian heirloom that is red and white striped, like a target, when cut into rounds. Organic seed.

Lettuce 'Oakleaf'-an old favorite

Lettuce, Deer Tongue--Also known as "Matchless," this looseleaf  variety is renowned for flavor. Organic seed.

Lettuce, Oakleaf--An old favorite that is very reliable.

Pea, Blackeye, Whipporwill--We picked this heirloom Southern pea because it was grown by one of our heroes, Thomas Jefferson. We plan to grow it on a new section of garden bed that has not yet developed good soil fertility. Not only will we get a crop, hopefully, we will be adding nitrogen to the soil, thanks to the bacteria growing on the plant's roots.

Pepper, Red Cherry--Ideal for pickling, this variety is also being grown for plant sales. Organic seed.

Pepper, Ashe County Pimento--Another one destined for relish that we will also offer through the nursery. Organic seed.

Pepper, Anaheim--Besides offering them as plants, we intend to make chilies rellenos out of these, at least a couple of times during the season! Organic seed.

Pepper, Fish Pepper--We were sold by the catalog description, offering variegated foliage and plenty of heat. We want to offer these as plants, too, but you never know until you try how they are going to like growing here. So, no promises, but we will try.

Tomato, Marglobe Improved--This is a classic canning tomato that people have been growing in the Tennessee Valley for many years. Hard to beat for taste, too. Hybrid.

Tomato, Amy's Sugar Gem--A sweet salad tomato that sounded too good to pass up.

Tomato, Black Plum--A paste type with the flavors associated with "black" tomatoes. Rich and complex, like Cherokee Purple. Organic seed.

Herb, Summer Savory--Seed for this annual herb, delicious in green bean dishes and elsewhere, is sometimes hard to find. We hope to offer plants. Organic seed.

Greens, Watercress--We ordered seeds in hopes of growing this at the edge of our new pond, if we ever get the pond finished!

We will be starting lettuces, onions and brassicas next week. Time to get gardening!

Local Food Report
This week's check of local produce on offer at Three Rivers Market turned up another beautiful batch of oyster and shiitake mushrooms from Sevier County. For those interested in growing their own shiitake, there were also pre-inoculated logs, with instructions, from Everything Mushrooms. I will be visiting their store on Sevier Avenue next week.

Organic leaf lettuce from Loudon County, and sweet potatoes from Grainger rounded out the fresh offerings.

The market has a great selection of meat and dairy products from local and regional producers. Benton's Country Ham is back in stock, for example, and it probably won't last long.

Pickling To Preserve Summer Bounty

Abundant rainfall and uncommonly hot weather have led to a surplus of cucumbers in our garden. We grew three hill of 'Pickalot' from Burpee. The vines are supported on a nylon string trellis and have certainly lived up to the cultivar name.

'Pickalot' produces abundant cukes ideal for pickling.

We selected three pounds of the best ones from our earliest picking to prepare my grandmother's sweet chunk pickles. This is a long-brined recipe that has been in my family for generations. The cucumbers remain in brine for three weeks before being transferred to a solution of vinegar, sugar and spices.

Long-brined pickles were once a staple of the American diet. Once the brining process is complete, the pickles can sit in the brine at room temperature for months without deterioration. This feature allowed them to be shipped in barrels via rail to even remote reaches of the country, and the pickle barrel became a fixture in nearly every general store.

The long-brining technique can be used to advantage on the new American homestead. In our case, for example, with only three vines, we need to harvest cucumbers over a period of about three days in order to accumulate five pounds for a batch of pickles. With long-brining, you can add cucumbers to the brine over a three day period, provided you also add more salt to compensate for the weight of added cucumbers.

If you want to try long-brined pickles yourself, start by choosing an appropriate vessel. You need a food-safe, non-reactive container holding three to five gallons, along with a plate that will fit snugly inside the container. The plate is used to weight down the cumumbers to keep them underneath the surface of the brine at all times.

The brine is a 10 percent salt solution made by dissolving 1 cup of pickling salt in 1 quart of water. It is important to use salt labeled for pickling. It has been purified and dissolves quickly. The water should be soft. In hard water areas, use distilled water. Water can be softened by boiling it for 15 minutes and then allowing it to sit undisturbed overnight. The scum that appears on the top should be carefully removed by repeatedly dragging the edge of a paper towel across the surface. The scum will adhere to the towel. You can tear off a strip to expose a fresh edge and repeat as needed. Carefully ladle the water out of the pot, leaving any bottom sediment undisturbed. [Note: in my view, the energy used and the effort required to soften water by this method are probably much greater than needed to produce an equivalent quantity of distilled water. Therefore, if you can afford the modest cost, use distilled water.]

Carefully wash freshly harvested cucumbers and inspect them carefully. Do not use any that have insect damage, etc. Weigh your harvest and make a note of the weight and date. Prepare sufficient brine to cover the cucumbers and place them in your pickling container. Pour the brine over and weight them down with the plate. Make sure all the cucumbers are completely submerged. Place the container in a cool, shady location.

If additional cucumbers are added over the next two days, be sure to:

1. Weigh them first and make note of the weight and date.
2. Add enough 10 percent brine to cover them.
3. Take the added weight into consideration when adding salt (see below)

On day two, add one cup salt for each five pounds of cucumbers that were placed in the container on day one. Do not dump the salt into the container. Instead, pour it on top of the plate and allow it to slowly dissolve. Do this after placing any additional cucumbers and fresh brine into the container.

On day three, add one cup salt for each five pounds of cucumbers from days one and two. Do this after placing any additional cucumbers and brine into the container. Do not add any more cucumbers after today.

On day four, add one cup salt for each five pounds total weight of cucumbers from days one, two and three. Always add the salt on top of the plate, allowing it to slowly dissolve into the brine.

NOTE: Scum will form on the surface of the brine as the cucumbers ferment. Carefully remove the scum with a skimmer or metal kitchen spoon. If allowed to remain, the scum will spoil the pickles.

On day seven, add 1/4 cup additional salt for each five pounds total weight of cucumbers. Continue to remove scum as it forms.

On days fourteen, twenty-one, twenty-eight, thirty-five and possibly forty-two (that is, at the end of each subsequent week for the next 4-5 weeks) add 1/4 cup of salt for each five pounds total weight of cucumbers.

During the second and subsequent weeks, the pickles will ferment. This will result in the production of carbon dioxide in the form of bubbles that will slowly rise to the top of the container. If you tap on the sides of the container with your hands, you should dislodge bubbles, making them easier to observe.

After four weeks of fermentation, check a cucumber by cutting it in half crosswise. It should be of uniform coloration throughout, there should be no white spots nor the appearance of dark rings. If necessary, allow the pickles to cure another week after adding the requisite amount of salt.

Once the pickles are cured, they may be left in the brine at room temperature for several months without deterioration. When needed, the pickles may be removed from the brine, desalted and packed with vinegar, sugar and spices to produce a variety of products from sour to sweet.

In the next post, I'll share some recipes for using long-brined cucumbers to make pickles.

What We Could Be Growing Now

January's cold, gray weather often keeps us indoors, so we make good use of the time by developing a garden plan for the coming year. Over time I have learned that planning a summer garden is relatively easy, while spring, fall and especially winter vegetable gardens are more challenging.

One trick I have learned for planning a winter garden is to make a list of vegetables I could be enjoying now, had I planned better last year. For example, I really should have potted up more rosemary to bring inside, as we have harvested all we dare from the one plant we saved. In fact, I intend to create a indoor herb garden for next winter by growing my favorite herbs in containers planted around the first of June. These won't be picked all summer, as we will have plenty of herbs in the garden beds, then. A month before bringing the pots inside, I'll give them all a good pruning, and use or dry the cuttings. That should cause them to put on new growth before they come inside around the end of October. My aim is to bring them indoors just before the first hard freeze. Besides French thyme, Greek oregano and rosemary, my three kitchen staples, I will certainly have a pot or two of parsley.
Because it tolerates some shade, parsley is excellent for growing in a windowsill garden. You can start plants just for the purpose, sowing seeds around the first of June, or in the fall dig a plant out of the garden and pot it up. Use a the largest pot you can manage, and feed the plant a soluble fertilizer to encourage plenty of foliage growth.

Coldframe Crops
With a larger coldframe we could be producing taller plants all winter. With more square feet under plastic, we could easily grow all the cilantro, parsley, dill, chervil, beets, Swiss chard, carrots, corn salad, arugula, mizuna, tatsoi, bak choi, chives, lettuce, scallions and leeks we could use. This is an area I intend to give more effort to during the 2011 growing season. Besides crops that are harvested in winter, cultivars selected for their ability to overwinter and produce a crop very early are worth some experimentation.

Storage Crops
The next best thing to fresh, homegrown produce is produce that has been preserved at home, captured at the peak of flavor. Freezing is the main way I preserve fresh veggies, but I also make pickles. Next season, I may purchase a pressure canner and expand my options in the canning realm. Also, I hope to take advantage of seasonal abundance at the Farmer's Market to put up my own tomatoes, fruit preserves and jam.
The garden will have some space devoted to storage crops, a bit more than last year. Potatoes, garlic and shallots are the main ones, and we plan to experiment with perennial onions. They have to be fall planted, though, so we will not see results during 2011.
Root cellar crops, such as beets, carrots, cabbage and turnips, are also on our list. Another possibility is sweet potatoes, although they take up quite a bit of room in the garden. I seldom see my favorite type, the true yam or "white sweet potato" that my grandfather grew, although they turn up from time to time at the Farmer's Market. If I can find some plants, I'll make room for them. Otherwise, I'll rely on the Farmer's Market for sweet potatoes, along with winter squash and pumpkins. Squash family crops typically outgrow our space and many are beset by the squash vine borer, a serious pest.

New Introductions
One of our main garden goals for 2011 is to establish a berry patch. We want to grow our own strawberries, raspberries, and possibly blueberries. We will include progress reports on this and other projects in future posts.