Applemania
It’s as Kazakhstani as apple pie. Which is not as they say, whoever THEY are . . . but as they should say, if they knew. I learned of the origin of this nationalized icon some years ago back in a fabulous article from…
Camp Ratatouille
Are you suggesting bell peppers migrate? I may be the first person in history to have eaten ratatouille several ingredients of which spent part of their life growing under a giant sequoia. This is a source of considerable amusement for me. Less amusing is…
Keepers
Growing food is enough of a learning curve. Storing it takes the game to another level, especially when built environment is low tech and low square footage and natural environment is getting increasingly warm and erratic. Last year the apples kept in the root…
Cornucopia
Life Goal: Collect beautiful baskets made out of natural fibers like the ones my friend Anore has. Anore is 80 years old, widowed 5 years ago, homesteading alone off-grid on 5 acres on Waldron in the San Juan Islands. She goes barefoot outdoors even…
Heat Storm
The heat storm burned the new leaves on the blueberry bushes. Rhododendron, too. Day before the heat storm when temps were only in the mid-90’s, I cut 9” off my ponytail with a kid scissors. It was 18 months since I had gotten a…
Arrival II: The Pie Garden
June 7, 2019 marks the first Edgewild strawberry and indeed the first Edgewild harvest of any kind. The total strawberry yield that season was about half a pound. My basis for that estimate is memory of quantity and size of berries compared to what…
Arrival I: First Sight through Adoption Day
It was the first Saturday in January of 2019 when I clicked that link on Zillow. Three days later I was standing in the rain, mud, fog, and cheerful earnest company of Josh Anthony, who turned out to be the best buyer’s agent a…