Seed and Plant Exchange Info

Saturday, May 21st, 1-3 pm, at the Farm

How it works:  It's free.  Bring extra seeds and or seedlings (gardening wisdom and questions too) to swap or share with other gardeners.  Heirloom varieties are encouraged (for seed saving potential)....food crops, herbs, flowers, shrubs, trees, native plants, etc. Label plants/seeds with variety name, special instructions, and our name, and bring baggies/envelopes to divvy up seeds.  Bring a lawn chair, too.  If you do not have seeds or plants to swap, come and mingle with gardeners and farmers with insights on gardening. 

For more information:  Check this blog.

Rain date: Sunday, May 22nd, 1-3pm.  Changes in schedule will be posted on this blog.

Be sure to carpool if you can.  To keep impact on our Farm at a minimum, parking will be along the Lane.  Assistance for carrying will be provided.  (Gardeners can help each other out too.) If walking is an issue, drive to the house.

How Little We Know

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am stunned

by how little we know

about how Nature works

and how dependent we are

on Her for Life itself.

Are we Humans

naive,

ignorant,

just simply stuck
in a deep funk,

or asleep?

I hope we

wake up soon.

~~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wild Edibles

Our Salad for Supper tonight was wonderful.  I am happy to report that Greens now are a regular fixture.  That includes those we raise in the Garden and Wild Edibles which Nature shares in profusion. 

The Salad included:  a Wild Edible Richard calls Pepper Grass (found in abundance on our Aged Cow Compost Pile, or any place we have used it), Walking Onions (plant from Kitty), Chives (plant from Mother), Garlic (plant from Vernell), Quinoa, Fresh Cilantro, Dried Tomatoes, Asparagus (the very 1st we have ever raised), Vinegar, and Olive Oil.  We raised all but the Quinoa, Vinegar and Olive Oil.  We had Goat Cheese (from Wren Song) on the side for anyone who wanted it.  For now, I am taking a break from Dairy.

I have to admit that I am both intrigued and largely ignorant of Wild Edibles.  It is almost like the citified and highly educated me has spent most of her life with blinders on.  I just haven't seen them.  But they have been patiently waiting around me all of these years.  They have been waving their little arms, saying: "Pick me."  And I just kept and keep walking by oblivious.  Richard grew up using some Wild Edibles so he has pretty much led the charge on this one. Melanie and I are eager "tag alongs". 

This little Enty should come with words of caution.  I know enough to know that one should not eat a Wild Plant without first being sure that it is the plant you intend and that plant is indeed edible.  Some aren't.  A few will make you sick, and there are some that are poisonous.  There are some good books on Wild Edibles out there and some of our favorites will be the subject of a future Blog.  Names vary by the specific culture and Folk Lore of a location. One should make sure that the Wild Edible comes from an area which is safe, that would include being free of nasty agricultural or lawn chemicals, as well as away from drainage along roadsides. Those are the contributions of Humans to Nature. 

For now, I still savor the look and taste of that wonderful Salad which just smiled up at us from the Dinner Table.

Leaf Day Happenings

Today was Leaf Day.  This evening, we planted the 4 varieties of Cabbages I raised from Seed. All are recommended for Spring Planting:  Copenhagen Market, Early Jersey Wakefield, Danish Ballhead (great for Kraut). Oops.  I just noted that I did not put the 4th variety in my notes.  I will check the name on the plant stakes tomorrow and add it to this entry then. Or not.

This marks the 1st transplants that we raised from seed and have put into the Garden this year. I actually started the Cabbages February 25.  My notes say that 2 days later they were coming up.  Within 2 weeks, I had transplanted them from their seed flat to their own pots.  How quickly the time flies. 

I did note the Cabbages were vibrant.  Their roots were well developed but not too developed.  If I had waited another week to plant them they would have had too many roots in their pots to get them out easily.  Timing seemed pretty good here. And of course, the Gardener wants the optimal vitality in the plant and least damage to the plant in transplanting. It only makes sense.

If all goes well, I will start more Seeds in May for fall Cabbages. That's a super busy time. Last year, I decided "not".  Who knows what I will do this year?  I do have Seed Packs waiting in cue.
Dark was settling in and we finished up the planting of the Cabbages. Done?  No. 
 
We transplanted Rhubarb to a new location.  We have had the worst luck with Rhubarb.  We brought down vibrant Plants from North Dakota and transplanted some of Dad's.  All but 2 Plants died.  We are not happy about that.
 
I did some on line searching for pointers on what Rhubarb needs.  I should have looked that up before.  Rhubarb likes loamy soil, well drained.  It is a cool season plant.  It does not like heavy soils and it will not tolerate prolonged wet.  This location should be better.  I am hopeful.  The Rhubarb will tell us pretty quickly if this is a good fit.
 
I would be remiss in forgetting to note that all of Richard's work to create raised beds really has paid off.  We get into the Garden quicker.  The Soil is very easy to work.  And it is beautiful.  I can just imagine those roots taking off down there.  Nothing would seem to stop them.  Timing seemed pretty good here.

We have used Aged Cow Compost to replenish the Soil.  It comes with 2 characteristics which are a boon and a bane to Gardeners.  1st:  The Soil is much richer and easier to work.  Vitality is restored after a century and a half of taking away. 2nd:  The downside is that the number of weed seeds is enormous.  And they are ready to take off.  In some ways, the use of the Cow Compost takes less work with far greater return, but in other ways it takes more work. I guess Gardening is a balancing act.  Life is too.

Gardening Gloves

April 12:

 

We are greeted by signs of Spring at every turn. On this day, I tidied up the stash of Gardening Gloves and Hand Tools by the door. They eagerly await projects of the moment and the day. Some have seen much service before.  Others await an introduction to such things.

Seeking

I am seeking Heirloom Plants for the creation of the Grandmothers' Flower Garden at our farm home.  I am especially focused on "story plants" with rich histories in Adair County, which is where we reside. My highest focus are plants which have histories in our family and the communities of our ancestors. The Ft. Madison, Willmathsville, and Trinity Communities would be high up there on the Hart/South side.  The north end of Kirksville is also a draw, with connections to Croatian immigrants. However, I am not limiting my search to family connections. 

My intention is to create a garden space and home which honor the integration of the stories of the ancestors with the present and the future.  For too long, the people of my tribe have carelessly tossed away the past.  I choose not to live there.  But I choose to learn from the lessons of those who have gone before.  I choose to honor their story as a part of my own.

I am excited to talk to folks about this.  This is a long term process.  It is true that I already have some plants with earlier connections.  Maybe they are just a taste.  I want more.  I think the ancestors would smile.

Memorial Day Picnic

Mother spoke fondly of Memorial Day gatherings at Ft. Madison Cemetery. She would point to the tall Oak Trees at the entrance, where she remembered tables laden with food, Children reciting poems and playing music, neighbors and family members reconnecting after the long winter.

I too remember spring rituals of gathering there.  Memorial Day Programs were past.  But our gatherings brought together family members, picnic hampers laden with carefully prepared family favorites (like Aunt Lu's Fried Chicken and always there were Deviled Eggs), blankets laid in the shade of the big Cedar, and tools for cleaning graves. Those picnics featured food dished up on real dishes and dinnerware.

I do remember that Children were sternly instructed to stay away from stones. Adults would keep an eye out that the occasional wobbly old stones and children were secure. Nothing ever happened, but it could.

Irises and Peonies planted so carefully long before would be blooming in profusion as we went to work cleaning graves.  Breezes would gently blow. Stories of the ancestors mingled with current "catch-up" on happenings of family and friends.  Tears sometimes appeared. My child's mind remembers that we mostly just seemed to play in the Cemetery with no disconnection between past, present or future.

Now that we have moved back, we go to the Cemetery occasionally through the warmer seasons of the year.  And yes, we do go before and after Memorial Day to clean and decorate graves. Long gone are programs and picnics.

This last year, Larry Evans was there sharing copies of his book on the Crow family history.  His being there and the marvelous conversation that spontaneously occurred opened the possibility and the deep yearning for family and community connection.

Melanie suggested a Memorial Day Picnic at the Cemetery this year.  I ran that by others who have family buried there and it was met by a resounding: "Yes!"  This year, the Ft. Madison Cemetery Association put out their 1st newsletter and tucked inside was an invitation to the carry-in picnic.

We don't know who will come and it doesn't matter.  It's about reconnecting with traditions and family which bind us together. 

Special instructions included the following:  Time/Date:  11 am., Sat., May 28, 2011.  Location: "Under the Oak Trees" at the entrance to Ft. Madison Cemetery.  Lunch:  Bring a dish or dishes to share, especially old recipes traditional at this time.  If that does not work, bring whatever works.  After lunch for those interested, we will clean graves, especially in areas of cemetery less tended.d  Bring tools and rags for such things. 

Those who plan to be there are invited to bring questions, resources, pictures, stories that would have interest and connection with the Ft. Madison community.  Bring lawn chairs, dishware, and beverage.  Is there anyone who might like to play music (guitar, fiddle, violin, banjo)?  In the event of rain the event will be held on Sunday.

And the Ancestors smile.