A new morning (or, “I’m alive!”)

After a few days of sunny and mild weather, the rain has returned for what appears to be the upcoming week, and beyond. It’s nice to have had a break in the rain, as we are now in record  breaking territory for the wettest year on record. However, the drought is not over according to the powers that be. Southern California, that oasis in the desert, has not gotten the required amount of rain to pull them out of drought. They don’t need to worry, since we have their water safely impounded behind secure dams, like Oroville. 

A Upworthy video popped up on my Facebook feed extolling the virtues of urban Gardening for food production. Most of these videos have a hopeful feel that we can feed the growing populations in the if we just bring food production closer to the people eating the food. It all sound great, and you might think we are making some headway here but, ¼ of all front gardens in Great Britain are being paved over for automobiles. Seems the idea of moving to the city and taking part in the public transportation system doesn’t fly when you have a car. Lot’s of hopeful wishes and happy videos out there.

We got ripped off a few weeks ago. Someone drove in, cut the lock on the gate, and drove off with 100’s of bags of our soils, drip irrigation equipment, etc. Amazingly the stuff was spotted by an alert deputy and much of it returned. The crook who took it is on the run, but the deputy seemed confident they will eventually be caught. So we have had to install security cameras, motion detecting equipment, and extra lighting. While I don’t like this kind of stuff, what can we do? No when the motion detector goes off I can quickly see, via our smartphone, all the different areas of the nursery. Seems thieving has been on the up-rise around here.

That’s all for today. Just waiting for the rains to let up so we can start planting for spring. It’s always too much, or too little water at planting season. Just the way it is, and what makes horticulture and gardening a challenge.

Living Wild: Gardening, Cooking and Healing with Native Plants of California

This book caught my attention while visiting Nevada City the other day. The authors, Alicia Funk and Karin Kaufman are both from Nevada City and have written a book about using the native flora of The Sierra Nevada as both food, and medicine. As my interest in using local produced products has grown, the idea of using the native flora only makes sense. It doesn't get more local than that. 

The authors listed 5 essential reasons for taking the time to learn about, and use native plants. 

1. Cultivate an Independent Carbon-Neutral lifestyle.

2. Enjoy 100% local nutrition that is gluten-free and vitamin-rich.

3.Say no to nature deficit disorder.

4. Preserve cultural knowledge.

5. Protect biodiversity and habitat. 

Reading about Manzanita one finds that the berries, flowers, and leaves can all be used. You can make Manzanita cider, Manzanita hard cider, or mix some Douglas Fir with it and enjoy MAnzanita and Douglas Fir Cider. You can also make Manzanita Blossom Jelly, Manzanita crackers, Manzanita granola, Manzanita muffins, and Manzanita sugar.

Manzanita Berry Sugar

Collect berries in early fall

-Dry berries

-Grind coarsely, on the lowest speed, in a food processor for several minutes

-To separate seeds and skins from the berry "sugar" place slightly ground berries in a coarse-weave sifter or mesh strainer. Use a wooden spoon to push the sugar through the strainer.

-Store sugar in an airtight container in a cool location.

-Keep left over seeds and skins to make Manzanita cider.

TIP: Grind 2 cups of berries to get 3/4 cup of sugar. Add Manzanita berry sugar to oatmeal, tea, and anything else you wish to sweeten. I can't wait to give this a try. 

The interest in where our food comes from, and how it's processed will continue to grow. One answer to the concerns about what we are eating is to "go native". Of course to live entirely off the native flora would be difficult, and not really in the cards for me. However adding native plants to the diet seems worthwhile, and fun. How fun to serve Bay Leaf ice cream after dinner. 

You can find "Living Wild" at Amazon, or perhaps your local bookstore. 

Horticulture is a trade for the future

Spring has arrived here in the mountains of Northern California. The Redbuds have just finished blooming and the native Ceanothus are in full bloom. Customers have returned, and many are anxious to get the garden going. Thank goodness for our trade and our communities that people have taken such an interest in food production. It's a lifeline for some business that had depended on "ornamental" (plants that cannot be consumed) sales in the past.

In my opinion the trend towards bringing food production closer to the end user will intensify. The time will come when even city dwellers will have the option to rent an apartment in a building that, as part of the rental agreement  includes a supply of food grown in the building. We could see the roof utilized when the weather is appropriate,  and when it's not a floor dedicated to the production of food under lights. Who will operate and grow this food? The next generation of horticulturist.

It's a fantastic time to be involved in horticulture. That may sound odd given the number of closing garden centers and suppliers. Make no doubt that the trade is in the throes of huge change. We know that change often occurs during times of social and economic upheaval when the only choice is to "change or die".

It's a trade that's made for the future, once we "in the trade" see that things have changed and doing business the way we learned may not work in this new environment. We must be open to new ideas, as well as new definitions of what it means to be a "gardener". I think the plant businesses that will flourish will be those who recognize this, and not be held back by what we "think" a garden center should be. The key is to look at the change going on around us, and use it as an  opportunity for making things better.