Archive for the ‘In Your Backyard’ Category
Edible Flowers
Many of the flowers that grace our yards are edible. They can be used as accents in a salad or as garnish on a main dish.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Purple chive
July Mid-Month Meanderings
I’ve been a bit MIA.
As I’ve said, our garden was on the West Seattle Edible Garden Tour over the weekend. So we had a lot of primping, prepping and stuff to get done.
It was a fantastic day with so many lovely and interesting visitors. We are guessing that we had between 80-100 visitors. It was really great to share the transformation of the yard and meet some of the readers (hi!).
Did you miss it? I’ll take you on a virtual garden tour (via this month’s Mid-Month Meanderings). If you want to see how it has progressed over the year check here, here,here, here, or here. It is pretty amazing to look back at February and see how much has grown! More…
Peek-a-boo Garden
The game that draws giggles from babies has me puzzling in my garden this year. Things that I planted disappear and things that I didn’t plant pop up. Hey, who’s in charge here?
Let’s review. I sowed seeds indoors back in March, set the timer on the lights once they sprouted, checked them every morning, potted up to four inch pots, hardened them off and then planted them in the garden when the nighttime temperatures warmed up – relatively speaking.
The pak choi was the first to disappear. I am scratching that one off my future planting list since, to tell you the truth, it has disappeared on me every year whether I start it inside or out. More…
Garden Defense: IPMopedia Gives Tips on How to Grow Your Veggies Well
IPMopedia.org, a community-driven wiki website that provides information on non-toxic pest control, sustainable design tips and more, is proud to announce the launch of its Backyard Farmer section. The goal of this section of the website is to provide information and advice for the ever-expanding number of urban, veggie-growing enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest. From growing tips, to educational fact sheets on how to control and prevent pests on your favorite crops, to design guides on edible gardening, this section strives to be a one-stop clearinghouse of quick and easy to understand information to help you and your garden grow a bounty of produce without the use of harmful chemicals. More…
Market Wanderlust: U-District Farmers Market
This is the first in a series of posts about the Puget Sound farmers markets. We visit a few different ones each week depending on what we need, which market has something unique, which day we can scamper off with canvas bags in hand, and where we plan on being that day. You never know which market you’ll find us at, but keep your eyes open and say hello if you spot us! To find the farmers market closest to you, or to go on adventures like we do, check out Puget Sound Fresh, Seattle’s Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, or Snohomish County Farmers Markets.
The University District Farmers Market is a great chance for people in the city to get to know their growers up close and personal. Located in the parking lot of the University Heights Center for the Community, at the corner of University Way and NE 50th Street, the U District market keeps going year round.The following shots were taken about two weeks ago on a cloudy, very typical Seattle day. That didn’t deter the crowds one bit. For anyone concerned about the popularity of farmers markets, look no further! More…
Milky Tales, Part Two
Molds with draining chevre cheese curds.
Due to persistence, my muscles are getting stronger and my hands aren’t cramping up so much. But turning all this goat milk into other dairy products is still a lot of work!
Thankfully, I’ve discovered the wonders of using freeze dried bacterial cultures to separate the curds from the whey and produced some good-tasting chevre. I’ve also got a good technique down for making yogurt.
What’s even better is that my neighbors have learned how to milk and people are signing up to take a morning or evening shift here and there. Not needing to tend to Ophelia’s overflowing udders, we were able to go out of town for a bit last weekend and things seemed to go along pretty smoothly.
Now I’m actually contemplating breeding my other goat next fall…
Cosmopolitan Hen: Prime Chicken Real Estate
Yesterday I was interviewed by an magazine editor for a story he’s writing about chickens and real estate. While most chickens don’t have a high enough credit score to qualify for a home loan, there are important considerations for homeowners to make about keeping chickens in an urban neighborhood.
The (R)Evolution of My Yard Part 5: Green Everywhere
It’s finally summer weather here in Seattle and the garden is looking good! I can’t believe we used to have boring grass! Grass! Who needs it!? Well, maybe sometimes, but that’s for another post, friends.
For now, I’m reveling in my garden. And reaping the rewards of months of labor! We have kale and lettuce to eat–the first fruits of our garden!
The romaine lettuce. The old yogurt containers were there to protect them for pests. Worked pretty well, except for slugs. More about them later. Those bastards...
Milky Tales, Part One
Ophelia
For years I have dreamed about having my own milk goats. I imagined I would casually stroll out to the pen, and with a light touch, the milk would flow into a waiting pail. Cheeses would magically appear and my children would soon be sporting goat milk mustaches.
Reality hit with a thud in April when Ophelia had her kids. I had not trained her to a milking stand and when one came in the mail she was terrified of it. Of course, Lavender–Ophelia’s non-lactating buddy–thought it was great and spent hours leaping on and off until the metal began to separate from the battered sides. With lots of coaxing and licorice flavored treats, I was finally able to get Ophelia to put her head through the stanchion and I was set. “Hey, we got lucky! I said to my husband “She has two streams of milk coming from one of her teats. We can milk her twice as fast.” Soon I found this was actually a genetic abnormality meaning that I shouldn’t breed her again and her babies couldn’t be used as studs. More…
We Patch – Urban Garden Share
The We Patch Organization has launched a new urban garden share website designed to connect people looking for gardening space with those who have space to offer. The site facilitates local, small-scale agriculture by enabling users nationwide to post listings in search of either garden space or gardeners in their area.
Amid the pinch of an economic downturn and alongside the recent explosion of the sustainability movement, urban agriculture is rapidly gaining ground across the United States. City dwellers are adeptly making use of the space available to them by dangling herb pots from window ledges, planting edibles in sidewalk strips and traffic circles, and slyly tending clandestine gardens in public parks. However, many would-be urban gardeners lack adequate turf to make their efforts worthwhile. There is a clear demand for public gardening space, but municipalities have been slow to respond. More…
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News Aggregator
- Old School Food Infographic July 24, 2010 Andrew Price
- New Livestock Rules Cause House Ag Committee, Industry to Blow a Fuse July 22, 2010 pcrossfield
- Insatiable: How Forward-thinking Cities are Feeding Themselves Now and in the Future – forthcoming book in 2011 July 21, 2010 Michael Levenston
- Cattle Burps and Climate Change: What About Bison? A Response to Joel Salatin July 20, 2010 Bkim
- The Huntington Urban Farm designed by New Zealand architect Tim Stephens July 19, 2010 Michael Levenston
- Urban farming is catching on in New Orleans July 18, 2010 Michael Levenston
- Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association National Conference July 17, 2010 Taylor
- Gardening for the Next Generation July 16, 2010 deschmeyer
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