City Dirttag:www.citydirt.net,2010://12010-03-11T18:59:17ZMovable Type Pro 4.32-enIn The News: Fewer Farms to Feed "Local" Appetitetag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6292010-03-11T18:43:03Z2010-03-11T18:59:17Z After Ariana's great article was sent out yesterday as a City Dirt Newsletter, about EcoFarm and the Chef to Farmer connection, I came across this piece in the Wall Street Journal, stating that California is losing so much farmland...Maria
After Ariana's great article was sent out yesterday as a City Dirt Newsletter, about EcoFarm and the Chef to Farmer connection, I came across this piece in the
Wall Street Journal, stating that California is losing so much farmland to development, that even though people want to go local for their food, it's very difficult. Even the urban farms can't make up for the subdivisions spreading out to rural areas. ]]>
The Chef to Farmer Connectiontag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6282010-03-11T00:04:00Z2010-03-11T00:04:31Z The line between farmers and chefs is getting more and more blurry as restaurants source ingredients from their own gardens and chefs and farmers have more direct interaction. The close relationship between chefs and farmers is not a new...Maria
The line between farmers and chefs is getting more and more blurry as restaurants source ingredients from their own gardens and chefs and farmers have more direct interaction. The close relationship between chefs and farmers is not a new trend - Chez Panisse (and others) brought the traditional interdependent relationship to California from Europe in the 1970s - but now even more restaurants in the U.S. are inviting their customers to enjoy a fine meal and take a walk through their farm or garden. The French Laundry in Yountville and the newly opened Farmstead Restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch in Napa to name a few.
And then there are the chefs who might not have a garden or farm directly attached to their restaurant, but make it a policy to buy their ingredients directly from farmers that they know and, in some cases, learn and work alongside. Programs like the Farm and Garden Apprenticeship at UC Santa Cruz's Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and conferences like the Ecological Farming Association's conference, aka EcoFarm, attract organic farmers and gardeners, but chefs, like Jesse Cool, say it's important for the people who cook food to take part as well. Cool owns a group of restaurants, including the Flea Street Café in Menlo Park, and the catering company, CoolEatz .
Since she started as a restaurateur in the Bay Area in 1976, she's made it a point to know the local farmers she relies on for fresh and sustainably grown fruits and veggies. (Fat Cabbage, a fledgling farm in Pescadero started by graduates of the UCSC program, is one of these farms.) Cool has also been on the EcoFarm Board of Directors for 26 years and attended this year's conference with a newer chef from the Flea Street Cafe, Carlos Cañada. Cool explains that knowing exactly who grows her food and the farm it comes from is a way to complete the circle from soil to table. And now it's important to her to introduce younger chefs, like Carlos, to this idea.
While Cool does not have a farm attached to any of her restaurants, she's an avid gardener and is always looking to grow something unusual to share with her customers. She sees it as another way to take food from beginning to end and to recognize how people who grow and cook it both fit into that loop.
To hear more about the importance of conferences like EcoFarm and the chef and farmer relationship from Jesse and Carlos, click here:
Jesse and Carlos at EcoFarm.mov
Article and Video by Ariana Reguzzoni
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Starting Seeds in Cloches and Terrariumstag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6242010-03-03T18:24:17Z2010-03-10T17:58:57Z You can get the most interesting heirlooms and other varieties by starting your plants with seeds rather than purchasing them as starts from a nursery. Most people had those little egg carton planter projects in grade school. That's really...Maria
You can get the most interesting heirlooms and other varieties by starting your plants with seeds rather than purchasing them as starts from a nursery. Most people had those little egg carton planter projects in grade school. That's really how simple it is. Add dirt, press a seed in, and remember to water. Garden supply stores and many hardware stores sell seed starter kits with little pellets of humus and clear plastic trays to cover them with, creating a greenhouse effect and keeping them warm and moist.
However, if you are gardening in small spaces, like indoors or your windowsill, then you don't need tons of plants and the seed starting kits. These are often rather large plastic containers with clear plastic glass and I consider them something of an eyesore to have in your house.
If you live in a small space and the seedlings are visible, grow them in something that looks nice. When cultivating small amounts of salad greens indoors use Edwardian terrariums made of glass and metal or a large cloche with saucer. They have the same greenhouse effect as the plastic kits, yet look nice in your living space. Salad greens grow quickly from seeds and starts work even for the impatient gardener. Herbs, especially the woodier ones like rosemary, are much more slow growing and so it's worth it to just buy them as starts.
For smaller starts, get very small, clean terra cotta planters with drainage holes in the bottom. Fill them with good potting soil and plant a few seeds in each one. To intensify the heat and light, put them under a cloche, or a bell shaped glass, or inside a glass terrarium. This will also look very nice and could go in the center of a table if it's in a sunny spot. Keep the seedlings moist. When they start to sprout, remove the glass cover. If there are too many plants growing up against each other, cull out the spindlier ones. After each plant has a few leaves, fertilize them with worm castings.
If they are going to be outdoor plants, they will need to be hardened off, so put them outside on mild days, and bring them back in at night. Do this for a few weeks, and then transplant them into your window box.
Save your cloche, terrarium and small terra cotta containers for the next round of seeds or plant small, tropical houseplants in the pots and keep them under the glass as a centerpiece.
This is excerpted from A Little Piece of Earth, How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces published by Rizzoli Books, Feb. 16th, 2010.
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Small Space Edibles: The Salad Boxtag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6232010-03-03T17:15:32Z2010-03-03T18:43:02Z Salad greens are very easy to start by seed and can be grown indoors near a sunny window or outdoors on a small balcony since they don't require pollination. You can either start seeds in small pots and transfer...Maria
Salad greens are very easy to start by seed and can be grown indoors near a sunny window or outdoors on a small balcony since they don't require pollination. You can either start seeds in small pots and transfer them to a larger container when they are ready, or just plant them right in to the soil. The latter is the easiest way for small space indoor gardening.
During peak summer months lettuces tend to "bolt" or grow upright and develop a bitter taste and tough texture, so plan a box for spring or early summer, harvest, and then sow new seeds or add new starts to replant for an autumn salad box. Mix varied colors and leaf textures in your boxes for aesthetics. Different greens will also offer a variety of textures and flavors that will make for an interesting salad. Some greens, such as arugula and escarole, tend to be on the bitter side, while those in the mustard family are spicy and others, like red or green leaf, romaine and butter lettuces are sweeter and mild. A little chervil adds a nice hint of anise to your salad. As well, I like to add edible flowers like nasturtium for a spicy flavor, or borage for a sweeter one. (The flowers will need to be outside, since they need pollination, but the greens can be grown indoors.)
Either buy starts from a local nursery, or order your seeds. The starts are bigger, but I like the variety offered by seed companies. A few good places to try are Seed Saver's Exchange, Kitchen Garden Seeds, and The Cook's Garden. Instructions
1. Make sure your container has drainage holes in the bottom and (if it's indoors) that there is something to catch the water run-off. If the container doesn't have drainage, drill holes in the bottom.
2. If you'd like, layer landscaper's cloth along the bottom so that when the water runs out, not too much soil goes with it.
3. Fill your container with good organic potting soil. To mix your own potting soil, see this post. Then, if using seeds, poke holes into the soil with your finger. Space them about 4 inches apart.
4. Sprinkle a few seeds into the hole, and then pat the soil back over the hole. (If you are using starts, see the Strawberry Box instructions for loosing the roots, then plant.) Water!
5. When plants start appearing, cull out some of the new sprouts, leaving the largest, healthiest shoots.
6. Keep soil moist to the touch.
7. You can harvest mixed salad greens when they are young and tender. Don't cut or pick the entire plant; rather, pull off the outer leaves and the let the plants keep growing. (The box shown in Photo 9 above provides about one small salad a day, or a larger salad every two days.)
8. This salad planter shown in Photo 10 has some greens that are particularly good for cooler weather. They include Joi Choi, which is tolerant to heat and cold, Giant Red Mustard, my favorite in salads, Frisse, as well as arugula (although sometimes my arugula goes to seed and sprouts yellow flowers). I clip those flowers and use them in salads as they have a nice spicy flavor. This planter also grows radicchio (this is great in a salad with pomegranate seeds in the winter), and red and green leaf lettuce.
Additional Notes: This box can take some dappled shade, but should get about 6 hours of sun a day in cooler temperatures. Keep the soil moist to touch. In really hot, sunny places, your greens won't be happy in peak summer, so put some sun-loving herbs in them. If you live in a cool place or have partial shade, go ahead with your autumn replanting a little earlier. Plant your box with tatsoi, escarole, and mâche spinach, and chard for an early winter salad box.
This post was originally published on Apartment Therapy and is from the book, A Little Piece of Earth, How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces by by Maria Finn.
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Bay Area Foraging Excerpted in Edible San Franciscotag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6222010-02-18T17:15:50Z2010-02-18T17:31:17Z Foraging Advice from A Little Piece of Earth. Miner's lettuce season is upon Northern Cal......Maria
Foraging Advice from A Little Piece of Earth.
Miner's lettuce season is upon Northern Cal...
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My Shitake Logs Are Finally Sprouting!tag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6212010-02-18T17:12:16Z2010-02-18T17:12:55ZI think they needed just a little sun....Maria
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Growing Indoor Lemon Treestag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6182010-02-17T16:46:28Z2010-02-17T20:43:55Z When winter comes to Italy, the lemon trees potted in terra cotta get moved indoors. Every large estate has a sunny, ventilated room to store their lemons, known as a limonaia. Winter is when the trees bloom, and I've...Maria
When winter comes to Italy, the lemon trees potted in terra cotta get moved indoors. Every large estate has a sunny, ventilated room to store their lemons, known as a limonaia. Winter is when the trees bloom, and I've always imagined a room full of these as exquisite to the point of intoxicating. Worried about cold snaps, I've brought my Meyer lemon tree indoor and the smell of blossoms on just one tree greet me every time I walk in the house. Sweeter citrus trees like oranges and tangerines need more heat, but acidic ones like lemons, limes and kumquats do very well inside. My favorites for keeping in sunny windows are Meiwa kumquat, Kaffir lime, and probably the most popular indoor fruit tree, the dwarf Improved Meyer Lemon. Keep these in a sunny window.
Order Your Tree
When ordering your tree, find out how large it will be. They are usually sold by their age or container size. Purchase one that's two-three years old (the tree should be at least 3 feet high by then) and plant them in a container only 2 inches larger than the root ball.
You can order these from your local nursery or
Four Winds Grower
Step 1: Place a saucer that is larger than the container you will plant the tree in with pebbles under the plant and add some water to the saucer. This way the roots aren't soaking, but the plant gets moisture from the evaporating water.
Step 2: Make sure your planter has drainage holes in it. If it doesn't be sure to drill or hammer holes into it.
Step 3: If you'd like cut and layer a strip of landscaper's cloth over the bottom. This helps the dirt from flowing out when you water.
Step 4: Fill the planter about three-fourths full with a potting soil. (See LINK for mixing your own potting soil.)
Step 5: Remove the citrus tree from its nursery pot and gently massage its roots so they can spread more easily.
Step 6: Place the plant into the pot and then fill in around it with more soil. Press down around the base of the plant. Don't cover the trunk with soil or leave any roots exposed.
Step 7: After planting, water it thoroughly.
Step 8: Indoor citrus trees like to be misted with water regularly. I tend to mist all my indoor plants when it rains outside so they don't feel like they're missing anything. If you live in a drier climate, mist more often. (And if you have a cat, a loving spray from the water bottle helps keep them off the tree!)
Step 9: Mulch. Mulch is great for outdoor plants as it helps retain moisture and helps protect the roots during the winter months. You don't need mulch for indoor plants, but I like the look of this colorful beach glass, and admittedly, this mulch is more decorative than anything else.
Step 10: When you have a cluster of tiny lemons, pull off about 2/3rd's of them off the tree so the remaining one will grow into a full size fruit.
This post was originally published on Apartment Therapy and is from the book, A Little Piece of Earth, How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces by by Maria Finn.
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Small Space Edibles: Strawberry Windowboxestag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6172010-02-11T00:28:09Z2010-02-11T00:28:57Z In Medieval times strawberries symbolized prosperity, peace, and perfection. Through history they have also be considered aphrodisiacs, and some lore has it that Native Americans taught settlers how to sweeten cornbread with strawberries, and this was the inception of...Maria
In Medieval times strawberries symbolized prosperity, peace, and perfection. Through history they have also be considered aphrodisiacs, and some lore has it that Native Americans taught settlers how to sweeten cornbread with strawberries, and this was the inception of the strawberry shortcake. What is undisputed about strawberries is that they have no fat, very few calories, yet are rich in vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, fiber, and vitamin B6. And very few things taste better than a perfectly ripe strawberry. As well, you don't need a backyard, just a sunny windowsill. And in many parts of Northern California, you can grow these year rounds.
Types of Strawberries:
Primarily, people grow three different kinds of strawberries: June Bearing strawberries produce one large crop in early summer. These are the biggest berries and their root system is on runners and the plants spread easily. The other two, Everbearing and Alpine produce berries from spring into fall, and these are the most practical for reaching out your window so you can pluck a berry or two to add to your yogurt in the morning. These are smaller berries than June Bearing, but still very sweet. If you have a shadier spot, you try growing Alpine Strawberries, a wild European variety that is small, but is a pretty plant and the fruit has a nice flavor. Two of my favorite heirlooms are "Yellow Wonder Wild Strawberry" and the "Alpine Migonette."
A real advantage to growing your own strawberries is that on commercial, non-organic farms large amounts of pesticides are used to grow strawberries. In fact, they are one of the most pesticide laden fruit to be found on grocery store shelves. According to the Environmental Working Group website, pesticides were found on 90 percent of the strawberries tested.
What You Need
1. Window box with drainage holes: To make drainage holes yourself you will need a drill or hammer and large nail.
2. Potting soil
3. Landscaping cloth: Optional. These only come in large rolls, so it might not be worth it to buy an entire roll for your windowbox. If you see someone using a roll of it, ask them for a swatch.
4. Strawberry starts from your local nursery: You can also use seeds. I've listed two of my favorite seeds companies here, but strawberries can take a long time to grow. For small windowboxes, you will only need 3 plants per windowbox, so it doesn't cost much more to just buy the plants at your local nursery. If you want to start your plants by seed, two of my favorite places are Renee's Garden and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
5. Water
In temperate climates like Northern California, strawberries will grow and fruit year round. For climates with a hard winter, strawberries should be planted when it seems the last freeze has passed. If a snap freeze is going to hit, bring them indoors until it passes. They should grow and fruit until it starts freezing again.
Before Starting
Mix Your Potting Soil
Almost all garden centers sell excellent potting soil enhanced with everything from bat guano to seaweed. Since you are planting things you will eat, don't skimp on this and buy organic. There are many different ways to mix your own potting soil, but the main components you want from your materials are elements that keep the soil lightweight and well drained, like vermiculite or perlite. The soil also needs an element that will hold moisture, like peat moss or humus. This is important, as pots tend to dry out faster than the ground and the smaller the pot, the faster it dries out. Worm castings also provide humus that help retain moisture. The more you water, the more you will need to add nutrients, as these drain out of the soils. And the smaller the container, the more you will water, so keep your worm castings coming.
To make your own potting soil, start with 1/3 rich, organic soil. Add 1/3 vermiculite or perlite and 1/3 worm castings.
Instructions
1. Make drainage holes in the bottom of your window box.
2. Cut a piece of landscaper's cloth and lay this on the bottom of the windowbox (optional). This just lets the water flow out, but holds back some of the potting soil.
3. Fill the box up 2/3 of the way with potting soil. .
4. Remove your starts from the container they came in and gently massage the roots, so they will spread more easily once planted. .
5. Place the starts in the window box, and space them about 3-4 inches apart. Then fill in around them with potting soil. Plant the strawberry starts even to the soil level--don't bury the stems or expose the roots.
6. Water them well after planting and keep the soil moist to the touch. Full sun is best, but during the hottest months be sure and give them extra water. Some varieties, like the alpines, tolerate partial shade.
7. They should produce strawberries during temperate months.
Additional Notes:
On Co-Planting: Sometimes I add tiny flowers to the box, like the Sweet Alyssum pictured here. I like how they look and they attract pirate bugs that eat pests that will harm the strawberries, although doing so means your strawberries will have a little less space, and may need to be replaced sooner.
This posting was first published on Apartment Therapy and is from the book, A Little Piece of Earth, How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces by by Maria Finn. ]]>
Worm Composting: From Apartment Therapy Re-Nesttag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6152010-02-05T20:53:04Z2010-02-05T20:58:15ZMaria Finn, founder of City Dirt, is guest blogger this month at Apartment Therapy. Here is the first post. It all begins with the soil. Worms are the great transformers of landscape through eating and digesting. They can consume a...Maria
It all begins with the soil. Worms are the great transformers of landscape through eating and digesting. They can consume a patch of stones and over time turn it into a fertile field. Worms continually pass soil through their intestinal canals, keep anything they can use for food, and then "cast" the rest. With indoor worm composters, these creatures can take your coffee grinds, lettuce scraps and apple cores and turn them into fertilizer castings that your plants will love.
Read More...
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Plant Rain Gardens!tag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6142010-02-04T00:43:58Z2010-02-04T00:44:41Z These days it's hard to believe that California is still in a drought, but when it downpours, imagine all the water rolling off your roof, over the pavement, and washing the roadside pollutants and debris into the rivers and...Maria
These days it's hard to believe that California is still in a drought, but when it downpours, imagine all the water rolling off your roof, over the pavement, and washing the roadside pollutants and debris into the rivers and wetlands. The egrets and herons are wading in it, the shorebirds shoveling their beaks through it, and it's wreaking havoc on California salmon spawn.
Native plants that like having wet feet in the winter, and handle drought conditions in the summer are perfect for staunching this. Installed near drainpipes, they slow the rush of rainwater so that it soaks into the ground before making it to waterways. They also create a filtration system so that it not only slows the water, but the plants and ground filter it of many toxins. It also helps slow river bank erosion. As well it helps to improve the quality of your garden's soil so that come the dry months, you need to water less.
Julie Vogt of Lagunitas was tired of paying a huge water bill every summer to keep her grass green, so she stopped watering, let it die, and then planted native sedge grasses. As well, she installed cisterns to catch rainwater. The effect was a beautiful garden and the water from the cisterns provided irrigation for the native plant nursery that is on her property and maintained by SPAWN. The natives are planted along riverbeds to help stop erosion and save spawning areas for California salmon. "The more impervious surfaces that are built, like parking lots and buildings, the worse this problem is going to get," Julie stated. "Rain gardens help, getting rid of lawns help, as do preserving or creating green spaces."
SPAWN has teamed up Marin Municipal Water District to launch the 10,000 Rain Gardens Project. They provide technical and design assistance to residents and businesses in Marin County for harvesting rainwater and installing native gardens. Visit their website HERE for more details.
And it's not just Marin County. This month, the El Cerrito Green Streets Rain Garden is being implemented on public walkways to help staunch the flow of water and help keep pesticides, PCBs, mercury, and copper from running into the San Francisco Bay.
Plant lovers in Palo Alto can attend the Native Plant Nursery Workday on Wednesday to plant seedlings in marshes. Visit Save the Bay
To find out what you can do in your neighborhood visit Estuary Partnership Tips: Community Service
Tip: You can volunteer to plant seedlings at your local non-profit that restores wetlands. This counts as community service to help pay down traffic tickets. So double up on that debt to society!
Available February 16th!]]>
In The News: Cultivating Failuretag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6122010-01-25T17:22:24Z2010-01-25T17:54:27Z The article, Cultivating Failure has garden supporters up-in-arms. Basically the author, Caitlin Flanagan, argues that time spent in the school garden does not help, and in fact possibly hurts students. While I in no way agree with her, I...Maria
The article, Cultivating Failure has garden supporters up-in-arms. Basically the author, Caitlin Flanagan, argues that time spent in the school garden does not help, and in fact possibly hurts students. While I in no way agree with her, I admire her taking this unpopular point of view and triggering a lively a dialogue. She wrote:
Here is the essential question we must ask about the school gardens: What evidence do we have that participation in one of these programs--so enthusiastically supported, so uncritically championed--improves a child's chances of doing well on the state tests that will determine his or her future (especially the all-important high-school exit exam) and passing Algebra I, which is becoming the make-or-break class for California high-school students? I have spent many hours poring over the endless research on the positive effects of garden curricula, and in all that time, I have yet to find a single study that suggests classroom gardens help students meet the state standards for English and math.
While time spent in the garden isn't exactly "teaching to the test", an unfortunate emphasis brought about by this country's "No Child Left Behind" policy, by the same reasoning , arts, music, sports, or any activity that fosters creativity or critical thinking in school takes away time from learning to pass the standardized tests.
And the author here is talking about low performing, low income schools--which have always struggled and will most likely continue to do so for a variety of factors. Beauty, fresh dirt, flowers and fresh vegetables, a safe, serene spot, and feeling the gratification of reaping what you sow should not be withheld from low performing schools, most of which are in impoverished neighborhoods, or it will only be one more punishment. ]]>
Heirloom Seeds for the Epicurean in Petalumatag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6112010-01-22T05:34:25Z2010-01-22T05:36:42Z It's seed ordering time, and no catalog feels quite as enticing as this season's new offerings by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. In fact, I heard their latest edition referred to as "tomato porn" for the edible gardener. And if...Maria
It's seed ordering time, and no catalog feels quite as enticing as this season's new offerings by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. In fact, I heard their latest edition referred to as "tomato porn" for the edible gardener. And if the pictures of Tomato Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge or Tomato Gypsy don't pull you in, then the names like the Bohemian Cowpea, the Dragon's Egg Cucumber, Bull's Blood Beet, or a Mongogo Du Guatemala Squash are sure to intrigue you.
You no longer have to browse through their 1400 heirloom varieties online. Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company has opened a "Seed Bank" in a beautiful corner store in downtown Petaluma in 2009. Though be warned, this is not for the gardener with little self-discipline. You will walk out with seeds for varieties of fruits and vegetables you've never heard of before. But of course, that's part of the fun.
This Missouri based seed company chose this location because almost half of all their online seed purchases come from five counties surrounding Petaluma. And they have found a welcoming community in Petaluma for their organic, non hybrid, non GMO (genetically modified organisms), non treated, and non patented seeds. According to the store manager, Paul Wallace, the response to the store has been "incredible."
As he explains, growing heirlooms have many benefits: "Heirlooms are varieties which have been in existence for 50+ years. Many of our seeds date back to the 1800's. The flavors are 'old fashioned' and what's more, if you wish you can save the seeds from your bounty to use the following year."
Along with racks of seeds and gardening supplies, the store supports local businesses and so carries locally made products like honey, jams, jellies as well as dried herbs and spices. And they have made seed donations to support local school gardens, youth organizations, church gardens (where they grow for the 'hungry'), Daily Acts , Petaluma Bounty and a host of other local non-profit organizations. As well they hold classes to teach how to grow your own food and on February 3rd, they are collaborating with Copperfield's Books to host Michael Pollan for a talk and book signing.
Starting Seeds Indoors from A Little Piece of Earth, How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces by Maria Finn
Most people had those little egg carton planter projects in grade school. That's really how simple it is. Add dirt, press a seed in, and remember to water. Garden supply stores and many hardware stores sell seed starter kits with little pellets of humus and clear plastic trays to cover them with, creating a greenhouse effect and keeping them warm and moist.
If you live in a small space and the seedlings are visible, grow them in something that looks nice. When cultivating small amounts of salad greens indoors use Edwardian terrariums made of glass and metal or a large cloche with saucer. They have the same greenhouse effect as the plastic kits, yet look nice in your living space.
Mist them on occasion to keep them moist, and when they start to sprout, crack the lid slightly so air can circulate.
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In The News: Where Have All the Flowers Gonetag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6092010-01-19T00:24:19Z2010-01-19T00:38:30Z Gardeners aren't only eating their veggies, they're planting them, too. by Lucinda Dyer -- Publishers Weekly, 1/18/2010 These days, the most famous garden at the White House isn't filled with roses, but rows of tomatoes, peppers, and squash. And...Maria Gardeners aren't only eating their veggies, they're planting them, too.
by Lucinda Dyer -- Publishers Weekly, 1/18/2010
These days, the most famous garden at the White House isn't filled with roses, but rows of tomatoes, peppers, and squash. And it's not just the Obamas who are digging up the backyard to grow vegetables. Statistics from the National Gardening Association show 43 million U.S. households planted food gardens in 2009--up 19% from 2008. At the venerable Burpee Seed Company, chairman George Ball reports the company saw a whopping 30% increase in vegetable seed sales in 2009.
The economy has definitely sent people to their backyards with a shovel and a hoe," says Gibbs Smith's gardening category manager, Madge Baird. "If they gardened before the boom went bust, they've now increased their numbers of rows and crops. If they hadn't previously been gardeners, they're at least nursing a couple of tomato plants and maybe a cucumber in the flower garden or on the patio."
Food gardening, notes Perigee editor Maria Gagliano, "appeals to a new generation of DIYers, who care about the quality of what they're putting in their bodies." While the economy is still a factor, Gagliano says, "an even stronger pull is this generation's urge to be more self-sufficient and to connect on a deeper level with what they're eating. Much like the back-to-the-land movement of the '60s and '70s, we're sewing, pickling, baking, and planting our way to a simpler lifestyle. Only this time, we're doing it in our own backyards."
So what can publishers do to cultivate a potential market of millions of enthusiastic new gardeners who may not know a Brandywine from a Cherokee Purple? One challenge, says Storey editorial director Deborah Balmuth, is that "many of these people are so new to gardening, they don't even consider themselves gardeners. Growing food is an extension of their efforts to be more independent and self-sufficient." Storey is responding to the challenge with books like Barbara Pleasant's Starter Vegetable Gardens, which assumes no prior gardening knowledge and features 24 small-scale organic garden plans, each set up like a cooking recipe, with a list of ingredients and a basic plot plan.
"Today's new gardeners are a sophisticated bunch," notes Timber Press associate publisher Mikyla Bruder. "They're active, media-savvy, and have high expectations for the content and design of their books. We're taking our cues from the success of the craft category and aggressively marketing books like Stephanie Cohen and Jennifer Benner's The Nonstop Garden: Easy Designs and Smart Plant Choices for Four-Season Landscapes online to get the buzz going among young gardeners and DIY folk."
An author's ability to reach out to these new gardeners using blogs or social networking has become key for many publishers. "Gayla Trail was one of the first young, hip, urban gardeners to host a robust interactive Web-based community," says Clarkson Potter editorial director Doris Cooper. "That was as much a draw to us as her clever ideas and clear, prescriptive voice in acquiring Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces. "Cooper also notes the gritty, hip nature of many of the book's photographs--"it's gardening for newbies without alienating the tattoo crowd." San Francisco Bay-area gardening maven Maria Finn had already cultivated an online audience through her weekly e-newsletter and blog (CityDirt.net), when Universe/Rizzoli came calling. Her book, A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Food in Small Places, says Rizzoli publisher Charles Miers, "is a small package that's not intimidating for new gardeners as well as a stylish package that can--as with all Rizzoli titles--seamlessly fit into the chic décor of a home." ...]]>
Garden to Table: A Collaborationtag:www.citydirt.net,2010://1.6082010-01-06T23:07:48Z2010-01-06T23:08:44Z A walk through the garden at Brix gives you a good idea what you might find on the menu. These days in Napa, as the nights still get cold and the days are growing longer, expect beets and Swiss...Maria
A walk through the garden at Brix gives you a good idea what you might find on the menu. These days in Napa, as the nights still get cold and the days are growing longer, expect beets and Swiss chard on the menu as these crops are thriving right now. Chef Anne Gingrass-Paik and property manager and purchasing agent Guillermo "Memo" Rodriguez collaborate on the two -acre garden that is surrounded by a vineyard for the restaurant's signature wine. Both worked together at Hawthorne Lane in San Francisco, and while they ordered local organic produce, now they are excited to go garden-to-table on their menu. When asked if it isn't just easier to have the produce delivered, Anne answered a declarative "No. When you order, you just don't know what you'll get. When you grow your own, you have total quality control."
They are just starting their second year and still figuring out what the gophers like--kale--if the Jerusalem artichokes can handle the frosts, and perfecting the salt water cures for their olives. Over the summer, zucchini thrived and found itself onto lunch and dinner menus and while the melons grew well, the local wildlife got to them first. They are starting to plot their spring garden and seedlings are sprouting in the greenhouse.
Memo handles the day-to-day operation of the garden, and likes collaborating with a chef. "She makes me look good," he said. "We use whatever we grow. And I'm in charge of ordering, so I know what we don't need. I never buy herbs in the summer."
Not only is the produce seasonal, but Anne is finding that proteins have their seasons as well. In the fall, pheasant was excellent and she's looking forward to local lamb in the springtime. Right now, she's serving local rabbit. While many gardeners may fantasize about pairing leafy greens with the critters that eat them, she promises the rabbit is not from their garden.
Recipe: Beet Salad with Dried Cherries and Walnuts by Brix Executive Chef Anne Gingrass-Paik
Serves 8 people
Ingredients
2 pounds Beets - green tops reserved
2 tablespoons Olive oil (for roasting)
3 tablespoons Olive oil (for sautéing beet greens)
2 ¼ ounces Dried cherries
To taste Kosher salt and black pepper
Red Wine Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon Whole grain mustard
¼ cup Shallots - small diced
3 cups Olive oil
1 cup Red wine vinegar
to taste Kosher salt and black pepper
1. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, shallots, and red wine vinegar. Slowly whisk in olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Additional Ingredients
16 cups Mixed greens
½ cup Walnuts - toasted and chopped
6 ounce Your favorite blue cheese
To taste Kosher salt and black pepper
1. Wash beets and remove the stems. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a baking pan, cover with foil, and roast at 350 for about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the skin while still warm. Slice beets to ¼" thick and set aside. Sauté reserved beet greens in ½ ounce of olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook until tender, let cool, and roughly chop.
2. Toss beets, dried cherries, and beet greens with 3 ½ cups vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let marinate.
Assembly
Combine the marinated beet mixture with the mixed greens, walnuts, and blue cheese. Toss with remaining vinaigrette if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Dirt Cheap
The first person to write in to contact(at)citydirt.net receives a free wine tasting for two at V. Sattui Winery in Napa County.
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Not Your Average Pumpkintag:www.citydirt.net,2009://1.6062009-12-23T17:56:50Z2009-12-23T17:57:33Z Marty Selling Squash Growers at the SF Bay area farmers markets are displaying winter squash in new sizes, shapes and colors. AllStar Organics grows between 22-30 different varieties of winter squash. And they are pulling shoppers into their exciting...Maria
Marty Selling Squash
Growers at the SF Bay area farmers markets are displaying winter squash in new sizes, shapes and colors. AllStar Organics grows between 22-30 different varieties of winter squash. And they are pulling shoppers into their exciting world of European heirlooms. They will soon have you snubbing regular Butternut squash for the sweeter Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioia and toting home eight pound Galeux d'Eysines. These winter squash sprout tiny warts from sugar in their skin. Scoop out their centers, roast them and then serve filled with beef and tomato stew. Or buy a big, blue Jarrahdale Squash and fill it with coconut curried fish soup. The Musque de Provence, a staple in Southern France, just slice and roast.
Marty Jacobson of AllStar Organics explained that as a small farm, they want to grow things that are harder to find and more specialized. "Now you see lots of of the Rouge Vif d'Etampes, or Cinderella squash. But not many other people have varieties like the Argentine Primitive." He motioned to a ribbed green and orange variety. He credits their forays into new and wonderful winter squash with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, which opened a branch in downtown Petaluma this past year.
"Fifty percent of what we grow is inspiration," Marty said.
Marty's Tips for Growing Squash
1.) Learn about varietals and then pick the right genetic one.
2.) If you want a big squash, cut off all fruit on the vine but one, so it can get larger.
3.) Avoid overwatering, particularly late in the season. As harvest time nears, stop watering and your squash will have more flavor.
Annie at the Farmers Market
Holiday Squash Recipe from "Everyday Greens" by Annie Somerville, Executive Chef, Greens Restaurant
Butternut Squash Gratin
This rustic gratin is the perfect beginning to a simple autumn supper. It's also a great choice for a holiday meal because you can make it ahead and bake it at the last minute.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Parmesan Bread Crumbs (recipe follows), about ½ cup
1 large butternut squash, about 2½ pounds, cut in ¾-inch cubes, 5 to 6 cups
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
½ cup half and half
Directions
• Preheat the oven to 375º F.
• Make the Parmesan Bread Crumbs and set aside.
• Place the squash in a large bowl and toss with the garlic, butter, flour, salt, and a couple of pinches of pepper. Butter a small baking dish and spoon the mixture into it. Pour the half and half over, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the Parmesan bread crumbs evenly over the top and continue to bake, uncovered, until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Test for doneness with a paring knife or skewer; the squash should be completely tender. Let the gratin sit for a few minutes before serving.
Tip: Butternut squash loses its moisture towards the end of its season, so if you're making the gratin in late winter, increase the half and half to ¾ cup.
Parmesan Bread Crumbs: Makes about ½ cup
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup bread crumbs
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1/3 cup
Melt the butter in a small sauté pan; add the bread crumbs and toast over medium heat until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Cool and toss in a small bowl with the cheese.
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The line between farmers and chefs is getting more and more blurry as restaurants source ingredients from their own gardens and chefs and farmers have more direct interaction. The close relationship between chefs and farmers is not a new trend - Chez Panisse (and others) brought the traditional interdependent relationship to California from Europe in the 1970s - but now even more restaurants in the U.S. are inviting their customers to enjoy a fine meal and take a walk through their farm or garden. The French Laundry in Yountville and the newly opened Farmstead Restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch in Napa to name a few.
And then there are the chefs who might not have a garden or farm directly attached to their restaurant, but make it a policy to buy their ingredients directly from farmers that they know and, in some cases, learn and work alongside. Programs like the Farm and Garden Apprenticeship at UC Santa Cruz's Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and conferences like the Ecological Farming Association's conference, aka EcoFarm, attract organic farmers and gardeners, but chefs, like Jesse Cool, say it's important for the people who cook food to take part as well. Cool owns a group of restaurants, including the Flea Street Café in Menlo Park, and the catering company, CoolEatz .
Since she started as a restaurateur in the Bay Area in 1976, she's made it a point to know the local farmers she relies on for fresh and sustainably grown fruits and veggies. (Fat Cabbage, a fledgling farm in Pescadero started by graduates of the UCSC program, is one of these farms.) Cool has also been on the EcoFarm Board of Directors for 26 years and attended this year's conference with a newer chef from the Flea Street Cafe, Carlos Cañada. Cool explains that knowing exactly who grows her food and the farm it comes from is a way to complete the circle from soil to table. And now it's important to her to introduce younger chefs, like Carlos, to this idea.
While Cool does not have a farm attached to any of her restaurants, she's an avid gardener and is always looking to grow something unusual to share with her customers. She sees it as another way to take food from beginning to end and to recognize how people who grow and cook it both fit into that loop.
To hear more about the importance of conferences like EcoFarm and the chef and farmer relationship from Jesse and Carlos, click here:
This is excerpted from A Little Piece of Earth, How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces published by Rizzoli Books, Feb. 16th, 2010.
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This post was originally published on Apartment Therapy and is from the book, A Little Piece of Earth, How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces by by Maria Finn.
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In Medieval times strawberries symbolized prosperity, peace, and perfection. Through history they have also be considered aphrodisiacs, and some lore has it that Native Americans taught settlers how to sweeten cornbread with strawberries, and this was the inception of the strawberry shortcake. What is undisputed about strawberries is that they have no fat, very few calories, yet are rich in vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, fiber, and vitamin B6. And very few things taste better than a perfectly ripe strawberry. As well, you don't need a backyard, just a sunny windowsill. And in many parts of Northern California, you can grow these year rounds.
Types of Strawberries:
Primarily, people grow three different kinds of strawberries: June Bearing strawberries produce one large crop in early summer. These are the biggest berries and their root system is on runners and the plants spread easily. The other two, Everbearing and Alpine produce berries from spring into fall, and these are the most practical for reaching out your window so you can pluck a berry or two to add to your yogurt in the morning. These are smaller berries than June Bearing, but still very sweet. If you have a shadier spot, you try growing Alpine Strawberries, a wild European variety that is small, but is a pretty plant and the fruit has a nice flavor. Two of my favorite heirlooms are "Yellow Wonder Wild Strawberry" and the "Alpine Migonette."
A real advantage to growing your own strawberries is that on commercial, non-organic farms large amounts of pesticides are used to grow strawberries. In fact, they are one of the most pesticide laden fruit to be found on grocery store shelves. According to the Environmental Working Group website, pesticides were found on 90 percent of the strawberries tested.
What You Need
1. Window box with drainage holes: To make drainage holes yourself you will need a drill or hammer and large nail.
2. Potting soil
3. Landscaping cloth: Optional. These only come in large rolls, so it might not be worth it to buy an entire roll for your windowbox. If you see someone using a roll of it, ask them for a swatch.
4. Strawberry starts from your local nursery: You can also use seeds. I've listed two of my favorite seeds companies here, but strawberries can take a long time to grow. For small windowboxes, you will only need 3 plants per windowbox, so it doesn't cost much more to just buy the plants at your local nursery. If you want to start your plants by seed, two of my favorite places are Renee's Garden and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
5. Water
In temperate climates like Northern California, strawberries will grow and fruit year round. For climates with a hard winter, strawberries should be planted when it seems the last freeze has passed. If a snap freeze is going to hit, bring them indoors until it passes. They should grow and fruit until it starts freezing again.
Before Starting
Mix Your Potting Soil
Almost all garden centers sell excellent potting soil enhanced with everything from bat guano to seaweed. Since you are planting things you will eat, don't skimp on this and buy organic. There are many different ways to mix your own potting soil, but the main components you want from your materials are elements that keep the soil lightweight and well drained, like vermiculite or perlite. The soil also needs an element that will hold moisture, like peat moss or humus. This is important, as pots tend to dry out faster than the ground and the smaller the pot, the faster it dries out. Worm castings also provide humus that help retain moisture. The more you water, the more you will need to add nutrients, as these drain out of the soils. And the smaller the container, the more you will water, so keep your worm castings coming.
To make your own potting soil, start with 1/3 rich, organic soil. Add 1/3 vermiculite or perlite and 1/3 worm castings.
Instructions
1. Make drainage holes in the bottom of your window box.
2. Cut a piece of landscaper's cloth and lay this on the bottom of the windowbox (optional). This just lets the water flow out, but holds back some of the potting soil.
3. Fill the box up 2/3 of the way with potting soil. .
4. Remove your starts from the container they came in and gently massage the roots, so they will spread more easily once planted. .
5. Place the starts in the window box, and space them about 3-4 inches apart. Then fill in around them with potting soil. Plant the strawberry starts even to the soil level--don't bury the stems or expose the roots.
6. Water them well after planting and keep the soil moist to the touch. Full sun is best, but during the hottest months be sure and give them extra water. Some varieties, like the alpines, tolerate partial shade.
7. They should produce strawberries during temperate months.
Additional Notes:
On Co-Planting: Sometimes I add tiny flowers to the box, like the Sweet Alyssum pictured here. I like how they look and they attract pirate bugs that eat pests that will harm the strawberries, although doing so means your strawberries will have a little less space, and may need to be replaced sooner.
This posting was first published on Apartment Therapy and is from the book, A Little Piece of Earth, How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces by by Maria Finn. ]]>
These days it's hard to believe that California is still in a drought, but when it downpours, imagine all the water rolling off your roof, over the pavement, and washing the roadside pollutants and debris into the rivers and wetlands. The egrets and herons are wading in it, the shorebirds shoveling their beaks through it, and it's wreaking havoc on California salmon spawn.
Native plants that like having wet feet in the winter, and handle drought conditions in the summer are perfect for staunching this. Installed near drainpipes, they slow the rush of rainwater so that it soaks into the ground before making it to waterways. They also create a filtration system so that it not only slows the water, but the plants and ground filter it of many toxins. It also helps slow river bank erosion. As well it helps to improve the quality of your garden's soil so that come the dry months, you need to water less.
Julie Vogt of Lagunitas was tired of paying a huge water bill every summer to keep her grass green, so she stopped watering, let it die, and then planted native sedge grasses. As well, she installed cisterns to catch rainwater. The effect was a beautiful garden and the water from the cisterns provided irrigation for the native plant nursery that is on her property and maintained by SPAWN. The natives are planted along riverbeds to help stop erosion and save spawning areas for California salmon. "The more impervious surfaces that are built, like parking lots and buildings, the worse this problem is going to get," Julie stated. "Rain gardens help, getting rid of lawns help, as do preserving or creating green spaces."
SPAWN has teamed up Marin Municipal Water District to launch the 10,000 Rain Gardens Project. They provide technical and design assistance to residents and businesses in Marin County for harvesting rainwater and installing native gardens. Visit their website HERE for more details.
And it's not just Marin County. This month, the El Cerrito Green Streets Rain Garden is being implemented on public walkways to help staunch the flow of water and help keep pesticides, PCBs, mercury, and copper from running into the San Francisco Bay.
Plant lovers in Palo Alto can attend the Native Plant Nursery Workday on Wednesday to plant seedlings in marshes. Visit Save the Bay
To find out what you can do in your neighborhood visit Estuary Partnership
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A walk through the garden at Brix gives you a good idea what you might find on the menu. These days in Napa, as the nights still get cold and the days are growing longer, expect beets and Swiss chard on the menu as these crops are thriving right now. Chef Anne Gingrass-Paik and property manager and purchasing agent Guillermo "Memo" Rodriguez collaborate on the two -acre garden that is surrounded by a vineyard for the restaurant's signature wine. Both worked together at Hawthorne Lane in San Francisco, and while they ordered local organic produce, now they are excited to go garden-to-table on their menu. When asked if it isn't just easier to have the produce delivered, Anne answered a declarative "No. When you order, you just don't know what you'll get. When you grow your own, you have total quality control."
They are just starting their second year and still figuring out what the gophers like--kale--if the Jerusalem artichokes can handle the frosts, and perfecting the salt water cures for their olives. Over the summer, zucchini thrived and found itself onto lunch and dinner menus and while the melons grew well, the local wildlife got to them first. They are starting to plot their spring garden and seedlings are sprouting in the greenhouse.
Memo handles the day-to-day operation of the garden, and likes collaborating with a chef. "She makes me look good," he said. "We use whatever we grow. And I'm in charge of ordering, so I know what we don't need. I never buy herbs in the summer."
Not only is the produce seasonal, but Anne is finding that proteins have their seasons as well. In the fall, pheasant was excellent and she's looking forward to local lamb in the springtime. Right now, she's serving local rabbit. While many gardeners may fantasize about pairing leafy greens with the critters that eat them, she promises the rabbit is not from their garden.
Marty Selling Squash
Growers at the SF Bay area farmers markets are displaying winter squash in new sizes, shapes and colors. AllStar Organics grows between 22-30 different varieties of winter squash. And they are pulling shoppers into their exciting world of European heirlooms. They will soon have you snubbing regular Butternut squash for the sweeter Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioia and toting home eight pound Galeux d'Eysines. These winter squash sprout tiny warts from sugar in their skin. Scoop out their centers, roast them and then serve filled with beef and tomato stew. Or buy a big, blue Jarrahdale Squash and fill it with coconut curried fish soup. The Musque de Provence, a staple in Southern France, just slice and roast.
Marty Jacobson of AllStar Organics explained that as a small farm, they want to grow things that are harder to find and more specialized. "Now you see lots of of the Rouge Vif d'Etampes, or Cinderella squash. But not many other people have varieties like the Argentine Primitive." He motioned to a ribbed green and orange variety. He credits their forays into new and wonderful winter squash with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, which opened a branch in downtown Petaluma this past year.
"Fifty percent of what we grow is inspiration," Marty said.
Annie at the Farmers Market