Posts Tagged ‘Geoff Valdes’

« Older Entries

Ecology Action

Monday, September 24th, 2012

Earlier this month Anneliese and I had a chance to visit Ecology Action, in Willits, California.

Ecology Action is the research farm of John Jeavons, author of How to Grow More Vegetables than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land than You Can Imagine. Given that this book had a huge influence on the way that both Noel and I garden, it was a big deal for me to finally be able to visit the site.

Looking down at the gardens of Ecology Action.

John Jeavons wasn’t available, but another John, who is currently interning with Ecology Action, took time out of his schedule to show us around. The site is hidden among redwood hills and is difficult to find. The view of the mini-farm is spectacular, but the soil is not. Part of the research involves showing whether or not the Bio-Intensive method works in conditions similar to that of small-farmers on marginal soils with little access to outside inputs and large-scale irrigation.

John, one of the interns at Ecology action, gave us a personalized tour. Here he is with Anneliese.

To that end, the goal of the garden is to generate all of its own fertility. This means growing lots of crops as much for the carbon and other biomass that they produce that then goes back into the compost pile as for their food value. At Ecology Action, they follow a 60%-30%-10% model. Sixty percent of the space is devoted to crops that produce a lot of carbon as well as some food, such as quinoa; the seeds are eaten and the stalks go into the compost. Thirty percent of the space is reserved for high calorie root crops and ten percent of bed space is for vegetables.

Grains and grain like crops are an important part of the system that Ecology Action has developed, both as a calorie crop and as a source of carbon for the compost. We saw lots of quinoa.

At the time of our visit, we saw lots of quinoa and amaranth almost ready to harvest. Since this is a research farm, everything that is harvested is weighed and recorded. Signs on the various compost piles showed the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in each pile; later the effects that different blends of compost had on yields would be observed.

Many gardeners have access to outside fertility. Even Noel, who generates almost all of his garden fertility on his property, relies on composted leaves from other parts of the yard not dedicated to food growing to replenish the organic matter. At Ecology Action, the assumption is that the garden must become a source for organic matter, not a sink; the garden must produce more organic matter than it consumes.

A closed-loop fertility cycle is just a small-part of the method presented in How to Grow More Vegetables. Even if you are a city gardener who relies on purchased compost for your fertility, the other raised bed techniques, crop spacing guidelines, and more make the book one of our favorites, and visiting the research farm in person gave me a new appreciation for their methods.

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Gardening | No Comments »

Growing Microgreens

Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

My friend Ted Skenandore of the Tsyuhehkwa Center has been growing pea and sunflower micro-greens and explained his method to me a few months ago. Now I’ve been growing them for myself as well as with the young people of the Save Our Youth program. These are his directions. My comments are in parenthesis.

  • Fill a 11″ x 21″ tray with small drainage holes half full of potting soil. (The standard black greenhouse trays that are referred to as 1020 trays work well.)
  • Water potting soil
  • Add about one cup of seeds evenly across soil (Use one cup only if the seeds are large, like peas or sunflowers. You only need 2-3 tablespoons if the seeds are small like Chinese cabbage or radishes.)
  • Add enough potting soil to cover seeds
  • Press in firmly
  • Water again
  • Cover with second tray that is the same size and press in firmly again. (For the second tray I use one that doesn’t have holes in it.)
  • Water every two days. (I have found that if the trays are indoors they only need to be watered every three to four days.)
  • When seedlings start to push top tray up flip it upside down and re-cover.
  • When seedlings push upside down tray up uncover and put in sunny location for one day
  • Seedlings should turn green and are ready to harvest

The sunflower Microgreens just after I removed the top tray.

The sunflower microgreens later that same day.

Pea Micro-greens ready to eat.

Microgreens have gotten a lot of hype about their alleged super nutritional value. Unfortunately the evidence doesn’t yet back that claim up. They are, however, a great addition to one’s regular outdoor gardening. I like having something ready to eat one week to ten days after I sow it and they taste great.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Gardening | 7 Comments »

Preparing for My Fall Garden in Austin

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

I garden year round in Austin, so there is no point at which I “put the garden to bed”, as is often done in more Northern climates. I never get to start with a clean slate for the next year’s season. At any given time in my garden I’ll have recently planted sections that are often still months away from harvest, sections in peak production, sections that are still producing but well past their peak, and sections that need to be removed. During peak planting times, as in early September, the challenge for me is figuring out where I can fit new plantings into this patchwork while still maintaining some semblance of crop rotation.

I’ve come up with a few techniques to make this easier:

  • Start kohlrabi, beets, broccoli raab and Chinese broccoli indoors now in late July so that they have 4-6 weeks before transplanting to garden in September.
  • Although I consider the first two weeks of September prime planting time for most of my fall crops, I actually need to plant pole beans in late August so they have time to mature before the first fall frost. Our average frost date is November 15, although in my part of Austin it’s usually December before the first frost. I’ll use the same trellises that I used for my early summer tomatoes for these beans.
  • Some of the spring crops are done and ready to be pulled out. Even though I never put the entire garden to rest at one time, I can prepare parts of the garden now and use burlap mulch to keep the soil soft and the weeds out while awaiting the better planting dates.
  • Some of my summer crops like sweet potatoes and okra will be growing right up to the frost. I might wait until late January to re-plant these beds, but I can also start cold hardy greens like mustard and spinach indoors in late September to be planted in November.
  • I’ve gotten excellent results from direct seeding cool season greens mixes in early September. As the fall progresses and temperatures change, different plants within the mix mature at different times. Lettuces usually peak earlier and arugula peaks later, with mustard greens in between.

During peak planting times like early September, it would be ideal for me to drop everything else and spend two weeks exclusively in the garden. Since that’s not an option right now, planning and preparation helps me spread the work out and still get everything in the ground.

I’m still harvesting a few sun gold tomatoes, but the rest of the tomatoes that I planted in March have finished producing and need to be removed to make way for fall pole beans.

I like growing okra because it hits stride in the late summer heat when many other crops have stopped producing. I won’t remove it until the first frost, so it overlaps with the fall garden.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Gardening | 2 Comments »

Double Amaranth Bolita Bean Soup

Monday, June 25th, 2012

I grew bolita beans a couple of years ago as a dried bean and had yet to cook them. Last week I made this bolita bean soup with amaranth leaves, amaranth grain (hence double amaranth) and purslane.

The finished soup, ready to eat.

  • 1 cup dry bolita beans, soaked overnight
  • 3/4 cup amaranth grain
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • cumin
  • chopped hot peppers to taste
  • veggie broth
  • amaranth leaves
  • purslane leaves and upper stems

Sauté the onions, garlic and hot peppers in olive oil. Add veggie stock. Add beans, amaranth grain and cumin. Bring to a boil then simmer until beans are fully cooked (about an hour).

Add the amaranth leaves and purslane, cook a few more minutes and serve.

Bolita beans are a New Mexico variety. I got my original seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. For some reason I thought that they were a bush bean, but they turned out to be pole beans and vined over two garden beds. I actually got two crops of these beans as quite a few pods shattered and re-seeded.

Amaranth Leaves

I grew two varieties of amaranth, Amaranthus spp., this year, one from Botanical Interests called Edible Red Leaf and another from Kitazawa Seed Company called All Red Leaf. All Red Leaf was indeed more red than the former.

I did not harvest amaranth seeds, only the leaves. I picked up the grain from my local food co-op. Amaranth seeds are not a true grain and are gluten free. The seeds are like quinoa but smaller. They are also harder than quinoa and take longer to cook. That’s why I put them into the soup at the same time as the beans.

Purlsane, one the the greens still growing as temperatures surpass 100F.

Purlsane, Portulaca oleracea, is known as verdolaga in Mexico. I’m growing a variety from Bountiful Gardens that has a more upright stem than the kind often found as a garden weed.

Purslane may be eaten raw as well and has a slightly tart taste. Amaranth is not as tasty raw and benefits from cooking. Both of these greens made this soup delicious and filling.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Gardening, Recipes | 1 Comment »

Growing limes in containers

Monday, June 18th, 2012

Even in hot Austin, our winters get too cold to leave lime trees outdoors when temperatures dip, so I’m growing both Mexican lime, Citrus aurantifolia, and Kaffir lime, Citrus x hystrix, in containers. Then I can move them indoors when necessary. Mexican limes are also known as key limes. Kaffir limes, or makrut, are grown primarily for their leaves, which are used to flavor Lao and other Southeast Asian dishes.

I picked up both of these plants earlier this year, and this evening, after the sun goes down, I’ll re-pot both into larger containers.

Mexican Lime waiting to be re-potted.

Limes need to be well drained, so I have added a couple of inches of expanded shale to the bottom of each container.

Expanded shale in bottom of container for drainage.

At the same time, given that our temperatures have already reached the upper nineties in Austin, I have to water these almost daily. If you are growing these in another region, check the pots before watering and don’t water until the soil is slightly dry.

The frequent watering can flush out soil nutrients, so I’m also fertilizing every two weeks. I use a mix of seaweed and liquid fish diluted in water. Currently, I’m using a commercial mix made by Lady Bug Brand that also includes small amounts of magnesium sulfate, ferrous sulfate and zinc sulfate. Citrus can develop chlorosis from a lack of any of these.

Kaffir lime leaf

Key limes, almost ready to harvest.

Both of these limes will be transplanted to an even larger container in a year or two. After that, I may need to occasionally root prune them to keep them happy in a container of a manageable size. I’ve already been enjoying my summertime treat: sparkling water with a twist of lime.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Gardening | 4 Comments »

Orange Frost Satsuma

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

Orange Frost Satsuma, still waiting to go into the ground.

Earlier this month I attended the Texas State Master Gardener Conference in San Antonio. The master gardeners had a new cold hardy satsuma, “Orange Frost”, available. This satsuma variety will not be commercially available until 2014.

What makes Orange Frost cold hardy in places like Austin is that unlike most satsumas, it is not grafted. So if a hard freeze in Austin kills the top growth down to the ground, the re-growth in the spring will be true to variety. Even with its extra hardiness, I will still mulch the roots heavily in the winter and cover the entire plant whenever the temperature dips below freezing.

Small fruits beginning to form. I need to remove all of these immediately so that the tree can put its energy into root growth this year.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in CobraHead, Gardening | No Comments »

Repurposing Chain Link Fences at Wamboldtopia

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

Back from the Garden Blogger’s Fling in Asheville, North Carolina; great gardens in a beautiful setting. I saw way too much to try and put into one overview, so I’m going to highlight ideas that I got from several of the places that inspired me in a short series of posts.

Wamboldtopia is the creation of Damaris and Ricki Pierce. Besides being gardeners, Damaris is an artist, artoflife.com and Ricki a stone mason, RockPirate.com. Their entire garden impressed me, but the converted chain link fence caught my attention as I also have chain link fence around my yard and have been thinking of ways to utilize its structure to provide support for something completely different.

The ordinary chain link fence, transformed at Wamboldtopia.

Damaris told me that she used concrete, but that adobe would also work in the appropriate setting.

Some of the original chain link fence is left uncovered as a window and plant support.

A tighter metal mesh is attached to the chain link fence to provide support for the concrete.

Stained concrete, bricks and other adornments.

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Events, Gardening | 5 Comments »

Loquat

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Driving around Austin during the past couple of weeks I have seen hundreds of loquat trees, Eriobotrya japonica, loaded with ripe fruit. Here the trees are mostly planted as an ornamental, in part due to their tropical looking foliage. The fruit, however, is delicious.

The tropical looking evergreen leaves make loquat a popular ornamental

Loquats are originally from China and are distantly related to apples. My friend Bianca says that growing up in San Antonio, they referred to loquats as ‘Chinese plums’. I find the flesh similar in texture to a plum but both tarter and sweeter at the same time.

My own loquat tree is only a couple of years old and is not producing fruit yet. A friend was more than happy to let me pick a shopping bag full from his backyard tree. The fruit is tasty raw, but does not keep long, so I decided to cook most of it down.

Loquat Fruit

I blanched the fruit for thirty seconds to make the skin easier to peel. Using a paring knife, I cut off the end of the fruit as well as any bad spots. After peeling all of the fruit I then picked out the large seeds. They are easy to remove, but make up almost half of the fruit. I cooked the fruit down with enough sugar to make a thick sauce. For the amount of fruit that I had, I used a half a cup, which made the batch a little too sweet. By the end of the process my bag of fruit had shrunk to a cup and a half of preserves.

Making loquat sauce

Use the preserves as a sweet topping or to flavor your own homemade ice cream.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Gardening, Recipes | No Comments »

Cream of Sweet Potato Soup

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

I still have sweet potatoes from my fall harvest. I made this soup a couple of weeks ago for some guests. Easy and filling.

The soup, garnished with fresh Mexican oregano.

  • 3-4 large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Caraway Seeds
  • Vegetable stock
  • Rice Milk (or soy or dairy)
  • Fresh Mexican oregano or other fresh herb for garnish

Sauté the onions and celery in olive oil. Add the sweet potatoes and enough vegetable stock to cover. Add the garlic, caraway and fresh ground pepper. Cook until the sweet potatoes get soft.

Use a blender to puree the soup. Be careful and never fill it more than half full at a time. Put a towel over it when you blend so that you don’t accidentally splash yourself with hot liquid.

The mixture will probably be very thick. Add some warmed rice milk until it gets to a more soup like consistency. You could use dairy milk or even heavy cream here if you wanted a very rich soup. Garnish with fresh Mexican oregano or another fresh herb like thyme and serve.

 

Tags: , ,
Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »

Sweet potatoes are for lovers

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Happy Valentines Day. If you’re like me, the first food that comes to mind when you think of romance is the sweet potato.

This dish is usually served as a Christmas time children’s treat in Mexico. However, hand feeding this to your special someone will turn it into an adult dish. I also added a couple additional spices to increase the romance level.

Normally, I don’t sweeten sweet potatoes and I almost always cook them in ways that heighten their savory nature, but this is a special treat.

Peel two medium sweet potatoes, cut them in half and then slice lengthwise. Put them in medium saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Add 1/2 cup panela (or use brown sugar), 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 15 whole cardamom cloves, and 15 whole black peppercorns.

Prepping the Sweet Potatoes

Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft but not mushy. Serve.

Ready to serve.

Tags: , ,
Posted in CobraHead, Recipes | No Comments »

« Older Entries