Green Wizards

The ancient skill of drying your food for storage is constantly being re-discovered and modified, and these days, there is a wealth of knowledge on the web (grab it while you can!) and locally (in many areas).

Okay - this post will probably clinch my title as "lazy gardener" or at least "whimsical gardener". It's spring, and in the Pacific NW that means trying to catch up with weeds that have had all winter to grow. It's not good to disturb soil when it's too wet (which is most of the time here) because it really turns to rock-hard clay if you do. I've learned the hard way how true that is, so I've watched as the invasive grass latched onto my garden beds.

I'm half ashamed to show this photo, but it does illustrate the dilemma of being stuck between two worlds. I am aware that most gardens are straight lines with bare dirt between the coddled and sprayed plants. I am also teaching myself some permaculture ideas, including the fact that bare dirt is not good, and that weeds can sometimes help rather than hurt.

Wow I can't believe we're already past Solstice and I haven't had a chance to post. Sorry... it's been a crazy Spring and Summer so far, and lots of "do this immediately" type stuff. But finally, after 9pm on a hot June night, I'm gonna try to summarize.

So I have been raising chickens for five years, and although I still have much to learn, I want to share some of what I’ve learned.

I’ve been bouncing around various websites recently: OpenSourceEcology.Org, Sun4Living.Com, EasternBioplastics.com, OpenSourceBeehives.net, and looking at the ways that entrepreneurs are working to build tools and processes that they believe will be sustainable or at least a bridge into the post-oil future. And all of them seem to be a mix of the belief in Progress and the desire for Sustainability.

The Green Wizards' Benevolent and Protective Association, Tower No. 412, and the Rememberers' Guild, Local 412 of Pittsburgh, are pleased to announce their May meeting. Salvus per ignem!

We will meet on Wednesday May 23 from 6-to-7 p.m. at the Bridgeville Public Library to hear a free presentation from Blue Heron Nature Skills. The subject, presented by a local foraging expert, is "Tree Identification and Uses."

Like some people, I don't go to movies anymore. Their sentimental "happy ever after" message no longer rings even slightly true to me, given what I see in the world. But I guess I still have the same youthful weakness for that plucky hero who overcomes odds.

NOTE: HONEY HARVEST !! UPDATED for JULY- SEE BELOW

Once again, I speak as a beginner rather than an expert, but as I attempt to turn my garden into a full circle of grow-harvest-recycle, I have decided to introduce honey bees into my yard. I’m extremely excited about this, and I am very grateful that there are so many people sharing their expertise on YouTube and in local organizations, so that people like me can help preserve honeybees, which are in sharp decline.

Although no one knows if we’ll get another frost or even snow, it feels like spring is creeping up on us here in the Pacific NW. The camelia outside my window has broken open the buds that have been there since last November (talk about planning ahead!) and the hot pink tips remind me a bit of lipstick tubes.