Wednesday - April 30,  2003                                                             posted 6:37  AM PST

Weather Report:  Sunny and cool, highs will be in the mid 60's

Tuesday - April 29,  2003                                                             posted 6:45  AM PST

This year we received a bit above normal rainfall (19"), compared to last years meagerly 5".  And, there is a slight chance of rain this weekend...  This should help the garden tremendously before Summer is upon us.

Weather Report:  Sunny and warm, high will be in the upper 60's

Monday - April 28,  2003                                                             posted 2:53  PM PST

SPRING GLORY

The garden is starting to bust out with happiness and I couldn't help but take a few pictures of the lovely flowers that are growing in the garden.

Last week, we had an unusual request from an acquaintance.  She (being a huge Jane Austen fan) wanted us to make a tussie mussie for her sister and mother.  Silly me, I didn't have a chance to take a picture, but they were lovely and smelled wonderful!  We used roses, pansies, bachelor buttons and such for the flowers and surrounded them with sweet smelling herbs like mint, chamomile, lavender, bronze fennel and so on...

The other day, one of us gals heard an unusual honking sound and upon looking up saw a flock on Canadian geese on their way up North.  They choose to fly right over our house -- what a sight! 

OK, if you are wondering what on earth happened to the March issue of our newsletter... Not to worry, we decided to combine the March and April issue and you can now read it online... Enjoy!

Weather Report:  The day started out sunny, but clouds increased during the day.  65º

Sunday - April 27,  2003                                                             posted 6:42  AM PST

LIVING GREEN

Yesterday we stopped in to check out Pasadena's "Greening The Earth" Day "festivities".  Coincidentally the "festival" was being held in our downtown mall area with posh retail shops.  Sadly, it wasn't very much to speak of with only five booths.  Even so, we did get to find out info on new "green" programs being put on by the city, like the Shade Tree Program and Low-Cost Composter.   For the FIRST time we got to see the famous Australian dual flush (1.6/0.8 gal) toilets in action that are being offered to Pasadena residents with a $200 refund incentive!  What a deal!

Have a busy day ahead of us...

Weather Report:  Pleasant, temps in the 70's.

Thursday - April 24,  2003                                                             posted 8:23  AM PST

That is sooo true, it's downright scary!  We joke {sad as it is} about how -- when people smile at us or say a greeting -- we are wary and ask each other, "Do we KNOW that person? What does he/she want?"  Or worse: "What's wrong with them? Why are they smiling at US?"  It just doesn't dawn on us that they might be friendly! It's the LA culture that has unfortunately, programmed us that way.   What's even sadder, is that when one does a kind act, like holding the door open or picking up something someone has dropped, or whatever, they treat it as if you are an angel sent to earth.  In truth, people don't realize any more that common courtesy was actually COMMON not so long ago!!!

 I see that article also mentions "Old Town" {outdoor mall to be more exact} Pasadena - how true!  It's just a place to been seen and to be avoided like the plague.

Luckily, there are places we visit often in which we see the same people and have gotten to know them by name.  Also, we sell to small local restaurants and caterers and this helps maintain the interaction between people.  We know the owners and chefs and are able to take time to chat with them about their families or business and they in turn want to know how the garden's growing and so on. 

We have to continually remind ourselves that a smile doesn't hurt, neither does a kind greeting or word - a positive remedy to combat the infectious LA culture.

Weather Report:  DITTO... Unseasonably cool..

Tuesday - April 22,  2003                                                             posted 6:29  PM PST

Today was Earth Day and it passed just like any other day on our urban homestead -- busy in the garden, taking care of the animals and slowly trying to break free from the sticky web of modern, consumer culture.  Throughout our busy day, it's nice to stop once and awhile and just sit/meditate in the garden and watch nature in action.  Doing so causes one to think how blessed we really are and how much we take for granted in our daily lives.  HAPPY EARTH DAY TO ALL FELLOW TRAVELERS!

Weather Report:  Unseasonably cool.. downright chilly!

Monday - April 21,  2003                                                             posted 12:57  PM PST

I have been spending quite a lot of time on the site LIVING & RAW FOODS and printing up yummy recipes that I hope to try in the next couple of months.  Also, there is a really good posting on our forum regarding SOURCES OF PROTEIN and a reader has posted her recipe for making soy base!  Can't wait till she posts her soy cheese recipe.

With the extreme flux of temperatures { one day sunny and warm and the next overcast and cold } the snow peas are starting to develop signs of early mildew.  Uh-oh! 'Tis the season to bring out all the potions, concoctions and brews and start spraying.

To combat the mildew before it starts to spread and consume the entire plant, we sprayed with a baking soda mixture.  Now we'll have to wait and see if it works.  On top of that -- horrors of horrors, we found signs of blight on the tomato plants this morning!  Besides spraying with s compost tea, anti-blight mixture { containing apple cider vinegar, molasses, and baking soda -along with, of course, compost tea}, we're going to try sprinkling cornmeal, which is reported to be a natural fungicide.  I rather not purchase cornmeal from a feed store { even though it's soooo much cheaper! } , I'll have to get some organic cornmeal at the health food store as I am leery of any GM containments - i.e StarLink corn.   

A call to arms is issued, the battle against disease has started! Tally ho!

{ Also, check out this valuable chart for NPK elements in composted material}

Weather Report:  Cold, breezy and overcast.  50º  April's been an odd month, weather-wise with cooler than normal temps.

Tuesday - April 15,  2003                                                             posted 7:50  AM PST

CULTIVATE THE GARDEN WITHIN

The storm arrived as expected, but produced more precipitation than predicted.    It  lasted for about 24 hours.  We tried to do some outside work yesterday, dodging in between the raindrops, but, really, it was a good day to stay inside.  The guys built a duck house and worked in the garage, mixing soil with compost. 

In the mail we received Oca tubers and horseradish to add to the garden collection of edibles.  The first wave of summer plantings has started to wind down and the spring plantings are now yielding seeds for harvesting and sharing!

As we go along the path of growing most of our own produce, we find ourselves becoming one with the land.  It is now an extension of us and we become sensitive to the earthy tones and natural rhythms of the seasons.  Problem areas or diseased plants or animals require natural solutions.  All five senses are engaged and are travelers in this journey  -- a  spiritual pilgrimage that's making us take a hard look at who we are and our reason for being on this earth....

Weather Report:  Chilly and sunny.  55º

Sunday - April 13,  2003                                                             posted 8:10 AM PST

Once the Summer plantings are done, we can then turn our time and energy to new paths towards self-sufficiency... One of the major steps we are studying about now is solar panels.  California has a rebate/incentive program (paying 50%)  for those interested in installing solar systems, so we are really looking into purchasing solar --- hopefully soon.  We've been reading books and researching different systems and getting estimates -- which in itself has been quite a learning experience for us who are truly "solar-dummies"... but hopefully not for long!

Weather Report:  Overcast, cool with a chance of rain tonight.  57º

Thursday - April 10,  2003                                                             posted 8:22 AM PST

On the garden front: everything's rapidly growing and starting to come together, the wildflowers are up and starting to bloom, the herbs filling in, the fruit trees and berries are blooming and the veggies are looking lush.  The air is warm, the birds are singing, bees happily buzzing, butterflies fluttering, the earthy smell of soil warmed by the sun and slight perfume of herbs and flowers hangs in the air.... what else could anyone ask for?  Oh, yes... anticipating the first sweet corn, ripe tomatoes, pepper and cukes from the garden!  We're counting down the days till the first fruits.

We've been busy the past couple days, getting the summer crops planted and taking cuttings and planting seeds.  The corn, beans, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes are coming along nicely; the heat spell has helped.  We again planted some Native American corn this year ( Ashworth & Rainbow Inca ) which were purchased from Abundant Seed Life.  The Native American corn seem to grow well in our area the past couple years.  The previous year we planted Cherokee White corn which grew considerably taller than what was printed on the packet!  In the bean department we planted Straight and Narrow ( a French filet, slender bean from Nichols Garden Nursery ) --  a favorite with us and the chefs.  In the cucumber department: as always, Lemon and White Wonder cucumbers from Baker Creek.  We're just getting around to transplanting the summer and winter squashes and I'll report about those varieties another time.  Also, we are trying melons again for the umpteenth time -- we don't seem to have much luck with melons here, but we don't give up and each year we try again.

We "controlled" ourselves this year on our annual heirloom tomato binge - limiting ourselves to a few varieties.  Even so, the germination rate of the seeds were fairly good, so we have many extra plants. 

The unusually warm weather we've been having means that we are having to water the new plants a bit more than we'd like to.  The weather reporters are saying that there may be a chance of rain this weekend.  The last chance of shower they predicted fizzled and went north of us... we are praying that this one doesn't.

Weather Report:  Warm, temps in 80's.

Wednesday - April 9,  2003                                                             posted 12:15 PM PST

Weather Report:  Hot again today!

Tuesday - April 8,  2003                                                                     posted 7:38 AM PST

URBAN OASIS

We spent a lovely afternoon yesterday visiting at Mr. Dundon's place.  His place is truly amazing and absolutely beautiful and peaceful.  There, you can easily forget that you are surrounded by cars, concrete and other unsightly scars of the city.  As Mr. Dundon showed us around and graciously shared with us some of his cuttings and plants with us, he occasionally broke out in little jingles that kept us in stitches. You can't help but smile, laugh, and be in awe as he goes into spirited rhymes about his 'Three Mile Pile Isle' and  'Flo the scarecrow ain't no hoe', ' or ' Soil to replace oil that will end the turmoil' and many, many more.  You have to be fast in the brain 'cuz he's so quick and witty, and sometimes his rhyming leave us in the dust... or our brain overloading!

Weather Report:  Hot, temps will be in the 90's today!

Monday - April 7,  2003                                                                     posted 8:19 AM PST

From browsing the internet it looks like the chilacayote squash is used more like a dessert squash to be candied.  It's used to make a dessert in Latin American countries called cabellos de ángel: a sweet made from the filamentous pulp of the chilacayote squash.  { See Recipe }

Here's a little history on this unusual member of the cucurbit family: Note, I would have linked to the page, but the writing is in YELLOW and unable to read - go figure!  Anyhow, I've copied and pasted...

Page 206 LOST CROPS OF THE INCAS -  Indians in the Andes commonly grow this "import" from Mexico. In fact, this squash (Cucurbita pcifolia'6 has become so popular in the Andes that it is grown more frequently there than in its native land.7 Today, it occurs from central Mexico through the high plateaus of Central America and along the highlands of the Andes as far south as central Chile. So far, it is little known elsewhere. This species is another cool-climate (but not frost-tolerant) member of the genus Cucurbita and is the only perennial among commercial cucurbits. It is pest resistant and short-day flowering. In some places, the rampant, irrepressible vine runs wild, climbing trees and shrouding shrubs with its figlike leaves. Its elongated or globe-shaped fruits may weigh 11 kg (even when not grown under forcing conditions) and are white, green, or white and green striped. It has white flesh and is the only squash with black seeds (a white-seeded race also exists). Cultivated extensively in the Andean highlands mostly at 1,000- 2,000 m elevations—the young fruits are used like zucchini. The mature fruits are prized especially for desserts, usually cooked and served in sweet syrup. They are also fed to domestic animals (horses, cattle, and sheep) during the dry season. No fruit anywhere keeps as well as these. Mature, they are commonly stored (kept dry, but without any other special care) for two years, and yet their flesh remains fresh and actually gets sweeter with age. They are eaten boiled or in preserves. Immature ones can pass for zucchini in looks and in recipes. Especially delicious and nutritious is a pudding made by simmering this squash with milk and cinnamon. The seeds are baked and eaten like peanuts and are greatly appreciated. They have an unusually high concentration of oleic acid, the prime ingredient in olive oil.
 

The chilacayote plant is still continuing to grow (and grow and grow) along the fence line and now is setting fruit AGAIN!  It's quite a green monster and has to be controlled or if left to its own power would completely swallow everything in its path.

OK, now who wants some seeds?

Weather Report:  Cool.

Friday- April 4,  2003                                                                        posted 7:30 AM PST

We are having a bit of complications in trying to purchase some female Khaki Campbell's.  The local pet/feed store that we were going to buy them from, now informed us that they are NOT going to be carrying them this year.  So, it's off to search for another source.  Yesterday we found a likely hatchery that has a low minimum order policy and hopefully everything will work out OK.

Weather Report:  The weather did a complete turnabout... now it's cool with a bit of dampness in the air.  Cloudy, windy and cold!!!!

Wednesday- April 2,  2003                                                             posted 6:19 AM PST

Weather Report:  Cooler, windy and some drizzle this morning.