Garden Girl

YouTube - WSJ clip: suburban farming, an idea whose time has come

a brief & smile worthy clip from the Wall Street Journal

My blackberries are starting to bloom!

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Robin Williams on ‘Law & Order’: Locavore

In Videos: Robin Williams’ Deranged Character on ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Is Locavore | Serious Eats : Required Eating

From the Serious Eats blog.

I have to admit that around the time we were moving and just after, when stress was high and time was scarce, I let my husband and myself slip back into eating out a few times a week.  eating out is a habit that from my childhood I associate with being treated to something special & so becomes a temptation when I am under stress.

We’ve kicked that habit again now for over a month by making an agreement that we can eat out once in a great while at places where we can order local real food. This limits our options in Austin greatly, as we are traveling via bike.

Still, I’m looking rather forward to a 5 year anniversary meal with my sweetie this month at Kerby Lane. Decidedly a locavorian feast will be in order!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

To combat the skyrocketing price of flour, several Massachusetts bakeries have taken on a project that’s part Little Red Hen, part World War II Victory Garden. The bakeries are recruiting their customers to till up their lawns and gardens and plant wheat.

Bakeries Urge Customers to Plant Wheat : NPR

This is one of the more horrifying things I’ve read in a while. A truly devastating new disease that appears to be on the rise may well be linked to GM food crops. You can read more at the link just below, but be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart:

http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?p=599

I found this story thru the blog of one of my favorite local soap makers:

http://awildsoapbar.blogspot.com/

and it just re affirms my desire to know where my food comes from and to know that it is produced by people and by means I trust.
Far from it being too expensive to produce food the old fashioned way, localizing food can create jobs and help protect the health of our children. It seems to me like it is far too expensive in terms of both real prosperity and quality of life to do anything else.

Let me point out that the delicious pizza I had last night, made with local organic asparagus tips, onions and tomatoes as well as semi local raw cheese and organic flour, tomato sauce and olive oil was not only yummy, it was cheaper than a pizza I could’ve ordered delivered from any of my local pizza joints!

april108fruit_trees_fig1

Originally uploaded by TheHerbGirl

The fig is downright verdant.

Originally uploaded by TheHerbGirl

We have lift off on all the trees but the peach, who I’m hoping is just a slow starter.

Well, why not?
I’ve been thinking about this for a few days before I even saw this wonderful post from Zanthan Gardens:

http://www.zanthan.com/gardens/gardenlog/?p=2340

My budget is very tight this year (buying a trailer & moving, contractors, and even a few fruit trees & a berry patch have wiped my spending money clean out).
And I’d like to concentrate what gardening budget I will have again in some months on food production in my not yet set up raised beds.
Even if that weren’t true, why not weeds?
A weed is more often than not just a useful plant that happens to be where we’d like to have some other kind of plant.
But with my scant knowledge of permaculture, I lean toward wanting native bio diversity built on disturbing the soil as little as possible. I’d rather take the slow route of building my soil up with good organic compost, nematodes & encouraging local fauna to utilize my plot.
I’m not opposed to native prairie grass & flowers and even dandelions in my back yard since they bring bees & other beneficial bugs that are good for my garden, ‘tho I’ll happily yank them out when they start intruding on my food producers.
Actually I’m more distressed by those non native invasives: Bermuda & St. Augustine grass.

So seriously: why not weeds?

& speaking of food gardening, Gristmill blog posted a critique of Bruce Sterling’s critical view of slow food as elitist. It’s well worth reading:

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/3/29/84737/8211

Far from being an elitist, I see myself as supporting my food producing neighbors and making it more possible for people to have access to healthy real food at an affordable price. The cost of tomatoes at your local farm market is probably less than you might think. The cost to you of tax subsidies to big Ag. and health care needs of a society poisoned by the bad nutrition that big Ag. fosters is enormous.

Having said that, there’s also the intangible benefits of slow food. It’s pleasing to all the senses, not just taste. It encourages us to meet and talk with our neighbors. I’m eagerly awaiting the opening of the Pflugerville Farmers Market in a month!

After all– even the most ethically committed of us is likely balancing some need of expediency with their efforts at sustainability (the computer I’m writing this on runs on wind generated energy, but its made of parts generated currently by mining & manufacturing in decidedly eco unfriendly ways. My veggies are local & seasonal, but my grains are not. Strictly speaking, I’m more of an ethicurean than a locavorian.)
Do what you can.
Don’t beat yourself up over what you aren’t doing yet.
Remember to enjoy what you have and to share it.
Look for ways to do more but don’t mistake asceticism for ethics or effort for moral superiority.