Owen Park News

After the new year I am going to hold a meeting with Chris and anyone else who want to attend to about the future of Owen Parks Community Garden. The location we are using now does not get enough sunlight. I plan on starting a face book group to organize the neighborhood.

Brady Heights Garden News

Meeting to decide the future of BHCG is scheduled for December the 28th. Call Justin for more details. You can get his number off the sign in front of the garden.

Honey Report for December.

We had a very interesting NEOBA meeting last week. The December meeting is a time to reflect on the previous year and share your accomplishments or disasters. I didn't feel when about half the beekeepers complained about little or no Honey this year. I ended the year with one hive (hopefully) having enough honey stored to survive the winter and one in chaos. Not sure if they will make it or not. The big topic at the meeting was a desire to built up the bee industry here in Northeastern Oklahoma. So with that in mind, if you want to start keeping Honey Bees now is the time you place your orders. I limited experience has me to recommend buying Okie survivor stock. Usually you can find bees for sale on Craigslist, or you can hookup with someone on the NEOBA Group. Here is the USDA Honey Report for December

A new look for the new year.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I wish everyone a very prosperous new year.

Knocking Around on a Sunny Day

I actually went outside and swept my sidewalk - between the turkey poop and the upturned pots, it was a mess. We tried to start a leaf shredder - after all I have 30 feet by 12 feet by 6 feet of leaves in bags from the Tulsa area. Great job collecting - Della!

I just finished building the Access database for the Buy Fresh/Buy Local campaign - have been so frustrated by the idea of having this brochure out there but not seeing is get done this year - due to illness on one members part - not sure about all the other contributing factors. I figured I could either keep griping or help. I choose to take my time, and it was considerable, to get this done for the - well I guess for all the farmers and farmers market vendors cuz it covers meat, honey, baked goods and even nuts. I was amazed that I was able to hang the silly thing together and get reports and input pages that will do the trick - do they have someone who can build queries and get it back out - probably not. Will I do it - sure, just call me stupid and I'll help - again. I sure hope they understand that I've earned some recognition - and I hope they print it timely this year. I even pushed that it be used at HIS this year.

I have a bit of bad news - all my turkeys are male -so I am going to figure a time soon to murder one of them - the biggest one. The wing and tail feathers will go to a friend who makes art - any advice will be welcomed - does anyone else read this words of wit?

peace all - merry hoho

Sad News

Any one willing to help out I am sure BHCG would greatly appreciate your support.

Justin Pickard wrote:

We are officially losing the community garden lot. As some of you know, an heir of the deceased lady who owned the fire-damaged-house that was bulldozed by the City, contacted us a couple months ago wanting to reclaim the lot. Because the lot is encumbered with so many liens (close to $40,000 with the City's liens and a mortgage lien), we believed that no heir would want to go through probate to get a lot that had so much debt compared to its value ($5-10,000). Unfortunately, we guessed wrongly. The heir who contacted us has a wealthy nephew who is a very successful boxer and is unconcerned about losing money on the deal. At one point he considered selling us the lot, but now has decided firmly that he is not going to do that. He has asked us, graciously, to move everything off the lot by the end of January (so we wouldn't have to do it during the holidays).

Obviously, the need to move everything is discouraging. However, it is quite doable. (1)The bed frames will pull up easily and are light to move; (2) I have a friend who has a front end-loader and we can scrape the soil from the beds and transport it with that (3) the fence can disassemble into sections (4) that just leaves fruit trees and strawberries to pull up and some other odds and ends. The main concern I have is that we nail down quickly a new location to which we can move the garden, so that we do not have to move everything twice. And having had this experience, we would want to have the ownership of the new lot sealed to avoid this happening again.

There are two lots that are possibilities (and if anyone knows of others, let us know). One lot is for sale at 1024 N. Denver Ave. (sw corner of Denver and Latimer by the Tisdale Pedestrian bridge). It has some advantages such as its central location in Brady Heights proximity to the commercial buildings (when say when our grocer and Tara's coffee shop are open), room with the closed off portion of Latimer for holding famers' market, outdoor concert's or neighborhood block parties, etc.). Novus Homes is currently asking $15,000, which is probably why they have been unable to sell it. We could offer less. I spoke with the owner and he is interested in self-financing it, but only for two years. This would give us the option to break it out into manageable payments.

The other available lot is the second lot north of Marshall on the east side at 1207 N. Cheyenne Ave. The owner of it actually contacted me when he saw my number on our garden sign. I am now having trouble getting a hold of him, but I think he would take $5-6,000 for it. The lower cost would obviously be a benefit, plus the easy proximity to the current garden in terms of moving everything. I also see it as an opportunity to get to know our neighbors to the north of Marshall. The adjacent owner of the blue house to the south is a sweet elderly lady, who said she was definitely in favor of the garden being there.

What does everyone want to do? Should we have a meeting to discuss this? We could hold it at my house. Should we try raising money prior to the end of the year to catch the tax deductible donations? Or should we try raising it amongst ourselves? Russell or others, do you know of grant opportunities? Again, I'll stress that we really need to work out a permanent location so that we only have to move things once, which means we need to do that in the next month.

Justin Pickard

The November No One Remebered

Wow - nothing in November. Second latest freeze on record, 70s during the days and often. Yes, I was waiting for a freeze - my greenhouse is loaded with plants to the point of no return. I have no room for new plants - what to do, what to do.

I have assumed the roll of putting the Buy Fresh/Buy Local information into an Access database - a simple job complicated by many ideas and suggestions. Inability to sleep has my mind frayed, a new pet cockatoo to take the place of our sweet little Moe has been similar to adopting a rowdy 2 year old with a severe overbite and an ability to truly bite your finger off. So far, she's been gold but still, entertaining takes time and a much needed rubbing at the end of the day is demanded by this large pigeon sized, two legged descendants of the dinosaurs. Until you have scratched the feathers off a small squab who gleefully raises each wing in anticipation clutching your shoulder with talons, you simply haven't any idea how much like a puppy or a kitten a parrot can be.

I haven't died - but it sure seems that email time is low on every one's list. Real contact seems to be limited for farmers - even at this time of year. Seed catalogs to peruse, or is that puruse - an odd word for "stare at" huh! Have you tilled yet - the freezes can kill some of the grass - fluff it up for that help.

Stack those tomato cages - this year closer - that walk to and from - insane!

The compost heap must be cleaned - I can grow bigger weeds in there than anywhere and what a waste. We have 14 pallets in groups of 2 making 3 bins with one side open and the top exposed - the wood had rotted - time to pull it all into the gardens.

My new beekeeper is a leaf collecting troll - she's got a van and an extra driveway to stack the leaves so once a week we drive over in the NEW Truck - a nice new (used) diesel with dump bed and side rails - and it is lovely for such a thing. I have leafs in bags almost as wide as my house and 1/3 as long about 3 high. We need to spend hours with the shredder - I love shredding but it takes hours. All of this will go into the gardens - tomatoes will be moved - to where the geese call home - because the gardens seem to be overrun with army worm refugees and the various wilts seem to claim the weak - a cleansing is needed - we have the space.

My 6 turkey chicks are now 3 huge birds (3 were lost) - a hen and two toms who seem to be as horny as any teenagers - one head scarf set them off and they strut and gobble as if they were the handsomest men on earth. I know this sounds weird and they are ugly in one way but in another, because I love my birds, they are handsome. The color had drained from their heads - a sign of lack of arousal and at first I was concerned - but with a flash of my shiny blue jacket and a bit of red glove, their passions turned those knobby heads into a festival of color. I will have to limit the hen with each tom so as not to overtax her - I'd love a dozen chicks for next year - those young toms will be destined for my table - and I pray I can butcher them well. At least 3 hens will be saved for future growth.

The geese have been given full run into the new flowerbed on the end of the house - the straw wasn't clean - seeds sprouted - there's nice fresh wheat grass for their tummies - so they take a bit of French sorrel with it.

And a few nights back the guineas were howling - chattering after bedtime - I sent my husband scurrying to check for the reason and a huge owl flew out of the tree - damn him. No loss - these are mean spirited guineas - strong minded - that's why they are still here. I have one Cockatoo, two spotted guineas, three fat turkeys, four honking geese and a New Truck - I have 5 days of Christmas. Hmmm - how would that go - One White Diesel Truck, four honking geese, three fat turkeys, two spotted guineas and a Cockatoo named Peaches.

Happy Holidays.

Garden Rant

http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2009/10/urban-gardening.html

I made some comments on this page - it is about community gardening - what it means - figured it would lead you to all sorts of information since she plans to include what the author finds of interest here.

This is a pretty active blog site - I love the manifesto - bet you all do to.

Make change happen. Plant a garden.

Even a small one will help. Here is why.

The right to grow your own food.

I was watching a documentary the other night about how the average Roman lived. In one of the segments Terry Jones talks about what an average Roman would eat. It seems that in Rome only the very wealthy would have a place to grow their own food. Towards the end of the Empire only a few people controlled all the land that was used to grow food. The average citizen would have to earn the money to eat or starve.

I am seeing this same trend here in Oklahoma. Where my family is from out in "wheat country", there is a movement to eliminate the family farm and get people off the land. The corporate aggrow business wants vast amounts of land with no houses or barns to get in the way of the automatic harvesters. The plan is to deliver the equipment to the field then use a satellite to steer the tractor or combine across the field to plant or harvest the crops. Since you eliminate the people from the process, the small towns that supported the family farms are vacated too. Terry Jones mentions the same thing happened in the Roman empire. As fewer people gained control of all the land, the farming communities disappeared.

But what about us folks here in the city. Do we have the right to take over vacant land and plant food on it? Or should we demand our government provide a place to grow our food. I have been observing a vacant lot for a few years now. I think I am going to start planting it. The lot has been vacant for over twenty years now and the owner lives in California and doesn't maintain it. I was thinking a few pepper and tomato plants and if they get mowed over than it will be no big deal.

But when you garden on no man's land things can go terribly wrong. One of our local community gardens is under the threat of the bulldozer everyday. The plot I helped secure for the garden is owned by a lady who died ten years ago, and there are numerous parties battling to get title to the land including the gardeners. Even when the city gives you permission to cultivate a garden on unused land things can change over night.

Here is a link to the documentary "The Garden". Part One. and Part Two. You have to click through some ads but the documentary is well worth it. For those of you who have slower Internet connections. Press play then pause the video and it will buffer so you can watch it without interruptions.

Sorry for such a long post. There are a lot of issues when it comes to food security. I personally think The City of Tulsa should provide Allotments to people to grow their own food. But at least we have gotten past the point of the city thinking community gardens are a bad thing.

Your agriculture weather forecast for last week of October.

Your Mesonet forecast for last week of October.

October Honey Report

The USDA Honey Report for October. I think this year was hit and miss for local Beekeepers. I didn't get any honey from my hives. I did get stung 3 times when I was moving the hives to my new location. I am seeing lots of pollen coming in so the Bees have adjusted to the move and seem to be foraging.

Welcome new contributor.

I have invited urbanfarmersorg to contribute to Secure Food. I hope they accept.

Sometimes life just does not cooperate.

I tend to think big sometimes, and it works out to be more than I can handle. I moved from my big house to my smaller house. Which meant moving my office too. My office doesn't close so it can be tricky keeping it open in the old place while you get it setup in the new place. I got the bright idea that I wouldn't move the old phone I would setup a new phone system. Anyway you get the idea. Think never go as planned. But the worst seem to be behind me.

Bonsai - Ya can't eat it

Twice a year I trim a bonsai I purchased for my husband - I have no idea why he doesn't do it except he just doesn't. I probably spend between 2-3 hours a year trimming it. It is the only Bonsai we have - its a juniper - and it came from a real Japanese grower - or at least Japanese seller - who was on the side of the road - I bet he's been in Tulsa at least a few times with a van and he just sets up his plants on the side of the road and sells here in Sapulpa.

I like the plant - but ya can't eat it. That doesn't mean that plants you cannot eat have no value - obviously I love plants whether they are edible or deadly poisonous - since I grow both basils and castor beans. Oh, that reminds me - I need to cut the gourds down - one has fallen and busted. Arrghh!

I am also wondering if it will ever stop raining - I've heard sunshine will occur on Friday - I'll believe it when I see it. I feel sorry for the bees - they are so confined when it is rainy - makes me wonder if they get bored, sleep or eat the entire time.

Its amazing how I worked in the greenhouse from 4-6 cleaning plants and when I stepped outside a bit ago the geese had put themselves to bed - they went into their pen for the evening - birds are definately creatures of habit. I am not sure if I have ever mentioned the parrot - the quaker parrot who is about 1/2 an ounce bigger and maybe a whole inch longer than a cockatiel and is green - we call him Moe. He/she likes routine and being very close to human contact. David's spoiling him - with breakfast. David will get a sausage, egg bisquit and as soon as he gets it unwrapped, the parrot begins to eat off the edge of the egg. And he/she eats its share too. I bet the bird consumes at least 2 teaspoons of egg with bisquit each morning - seems a bit cannibalistic. This morning Moe didn't even wait to be offered food - he simply walked over to the bisquit and began eating before David had his first bite. Since quakers will eat any food human's do with very few limitations, he seems to be thriving and looks pretty good.

I hope Mr. Tulsonian gets moved soon enough - I know that moving has got to be the last thing on my mind - I'd sell my soul for more room - but not if it means moving.

More Politically Correct Community Gardens

http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2009/10/baltimores-city-hall-garden.html

Greenhouses and all that mess

Earlier this summer I planted all my lemongrass into the lower garden - Friday and Saturday we dug it all up out of the swampiness we call the lower garden. Plopping all the plants into pots just large enough to hold the tangle of roots, we wheelbarrowed them from the lower garden into the greenhouse. They are still too big for my gallon pots - so I'll create the 3 gallon potted plants I had for sale last year - plants big enough to begin using before you even plant them.

You cannot see much of the floor of the greenhouse - we cleaned and swept along the right side - picking up and moving pallets from the floor and sweeping all the webs and pulling all the weeds that insist on living in the hottest greenhouse in Oklahoma - no cooling system at all except the overhead exhaust fans. We have things in the greenhouse that should not be in the greenhouse - a bicycle that belonged to my sister - a sink I bought for my building - it needs to be sanded and painted and put into the building - but then there's the walls and the painting and all that goes with that work. So I sweep around things - clean up plants and man what I reaction I had to an Agave Americana - dang.

My arms got so itchy and my hands were driving me nuts - appearently I've developed an allergy to them - and I am not allergic to anything in the garden - not even poison ivy. I came in and washed my arms off and loaded them with cortizone cream - seems to have helped and the tiny whelps are going down.

I still have my knee pads on - so out I am going again - got the radio to keep me company and I'll plow thru part of the cleaning - but I am done with Agave duty for the year.

Putting gardens to bed

Outside my bedroom/office window is my tomato cages still lined up and full of tired plants - plants that have no leaves or life from the ground up to about 3 feet then there is the tangle of living greenery with tomatoes in all form of green, pink, ripe and rotten - until we get that hard freeze they will suffer into the fall putting on hard green tomatoes. I've even picked some fairly large tomatoes for this time of year - I keep thinking it has to be the bees pollination that is keeping the production size up.

The truck is still gone, the insurance company hasn't settled yet and the customers have been as sparce as hen's teeth. I'm picking and taking to the Presbyterian church in town on Mondays - shoot, that's today isn't it.

We are looking for a truck - David insists it has to be a diesel and a dodge and I found one I think would be a good purchase but it would cost me 6,000 lbs of tomatoes. David's got a job for a while - as long as there are fossil fuels to be burned for airplanes to fly that is.

I am not good with winter - years ago we owned a dump truck service and we did well in the summer but in the winter, we struggled and winter became the enemy. Farming is good in the summer and costly in the winter - heating a greenhouse is no small potatoes. We have dug up over 60 blackberry plants - ready to make the extension of 4 rows but we need a truck - to haul the trailer to bring home a hole digging rental. And then there's the cement that will need to be purchased and the time it takes to plant the 4 X 4 posts. Buying the truck is scaring me - not buying the truck is scaring me. Without a vehicle, we don't have any means of getting our plants to festivals in the spring. We can't bring home mounds of manure. We can't pick up wood chips or mulch unless it is bagged and that's always more expensive.

It is hard to know exactly how to push ahead and what to buy - and what item needs to be finished and what doesn't.

So putting the gardens to bed will be higher on the list as the weather becomes colder. Lemon grass must be dug up before a freeze - all 60 plants and divided to make more. The basil was pulled out on Saturday to make room for the pansies and 5 chrysanthemums in the front flower bed. Then the entire wall of plants on the end of the house were removed - castor beans yanked out, the entire area double dug to remove as much of the grass that had invaded and all the bulbs and corms and rhisomes in the greenhouse walkway were pulled and needed the new location. I had daylilies, iris, daffodils and oriental lilies, sages still in pots were planted, a rose of sharon and a small shrub, and a few canna's were centered a little off center. For mulch I went cheap - a bale of straw and a lawnmower mulched it into finer cuttings and a bit of cardboard cut in long swaths became the weed barrier. A bit of old ground cover was used under the blocks to creat a stepping stone path in the center as the bed is almost 5 feet deep - and 24 feet long. The leftover bale became mulch for the pansies too.

I bought 3 kinds of blueberries - one plant each - just enough for us to enjoy and will plant them in the lavender row - between plants of lavender will be blueberry bushes - I need to dig the holes and add a bale of peat, some bonemeal and bunny poop, part of the existing soil and then maybe in two or three years I will be enjoying my own blueberries without depending on others for this treat. I have a small bucket of raspberries too - now where the heck will those go. I also purchased two pawpaw trees this spring and I am under the impression those need a bit of shade for a few years before they are capable of handling full sun. I have no idea if a pawpaw is good or not but I do want to try growing them as I call David papa much of the time. Those will go into larger pots and be well mulched thru this winter half dug into the ground to prevent the pot from freezing.

There are other beds that need dug up, grasses pulled out and bulbs replaced this fall - and here I sit on a Monday morning writing instead of doing. But it is cloudy out there - and a bit cool and there's a few other things - some review of market taxes, picking for the church, and the fact my husband's shift changed again this month and that means instead of a 3 day weekend, he only got one day off as the shift changes at the beginning of the month and then will get caught back up in 4 weeks - it feels so unfair - but then, he has a job, and I know deep down inside how very lucky we are even when it feels unfair.

Oh, and David cleaned up the scary berries - the blackberries are in wonderful shape this fall - the choice to put them higher on the agenda is paying off.

Saturday morning garden blogging.

Saturday morning garden blogging at DailyKos. Post and recommend.

Your agriculture weather for last of September.

The Mesonet weather forecast for the last of September

Got to get busy.

Lots of more stuff to move.

I am so happy that the USDA is starting to get it!!!!

Know your Farmer. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

I don't get it????

Why would anyone consider growing food controversial?

I guess they got things settled in Flint.

This article doesn't mention any zoning requirements.

Saturday morning garden blogging

Saturday morning garden blogging at DailyKos. Post and recommend.

August Honey Report

Here is the latest USDA Honey Report. Time to kick the guys out of the hive. Don't need any men to feed this winter.

Ag weather for third week in September

Agriculture weather forecast for the third week in September.

I hate having to move my stuff.

Moving out of the big house back into the small house. Haven't had much to post.

CSAs and the Peppermint Dragon

CSA sales scares the bejezus out of me. There's a young farmer over in Chelsea who came by my place and was telling me that last year he started a CSA and also had a great deal of low production. After taking their money and doing the best he could, he felt so bad about his lack of productivity that he just couldn't bring himself to try it again this year. His error stemmed mostly from trying to be heirloom-based only but as he was telling me how badly he felt, I almost repeated the same words as to why I cannot bring myself to do this.

As it stands today, I wanted to have a lot more variety this year and I had purchased some specialty melons and eggplant varieties that I intended for a particular restaurant in Sapulpa - and I just never got those items planted. Blackberry cleanup ate a great deal of time from us. And I feel bad enough disappointing one business let alone a whole passle of CSA investors.

I am not sure I can envision my ever feeling like it is ok for me to take money and feel ok about letting them all take the same hit I do for a crop failure or low production. That would sit double heavy on my shoulders and I'd be making refunds - guess I'll stick to the "here's what I have, come and get it" cash method instead of the "I'll promise you the moon (and stars) and full sacks of produce but if I screw up, you get screwed" prepaid method. So am I crazy for thinking this way? I know some of the younger growers can make this decision and let the consequences happen - but for me, it feels like gambling with the CSA money and I don't like what Wall Street did to the American public.

Zuchinni Bread (again???) and more

Yesterday David finally completed the wiring in our produce building - he has one more task and then we get the electric turned on, lights working and the air conditioner running - I am so ready. Picking produce and filling my utility room is getting very frustrating. After having the truck stolen, people seem to think we don't have anything so they have stopped coming out. My tomatoes and squash are piling up so I may have to hit the road tomorrow and there's so much I need to do here that being away from the farm selling is not what I want to be doing.

In getting the job done - a licensed electrician friend of his from work came out and took a look - Byron Lentz is a mechanic at AA, a photographer and a bike rider. That's quite the combo - he and his wife Roxanne were given a bag of tomatoes, some summer squash and a zuchinni loaf as a thank you for their time. Had my computer worked, I'd have downloaded a few of his pictures but there's a glitch - maybe next time.

Here's basically that recipe for the zuchinni bread -
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups natural or brown sugar
1 tsp salt1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
4 oz nuts (walnuts or pecans)
Mix dry ingredients
2 cups zuchinni - I have also used pears, bananas either in replacement or mixed with the zuchinni
3 eggs
1 cup oil or butter melted
2 tsp vanilla1 cup oil or butter - that batch had 3/4s butter and 1/4 oil but most I have used the oil
Finish mixing and divide into pans - makes two loaf pans or can be divided to make smaller yet.

The air conditioner seems to be on the fritz too - all of a sudden. One more bad thing needs to happen to get this run of bad luck out of the way. I don't have a lot of superstitions - she said with a smile. I've never thrown salt over a shoulder or avoided a black cats path but it sure seems that bad luck comes in threes. Ooooo, oooo - maybe having the sign stolen with the truck makes two! Ahhh, I feel better already.

"They finally get it -- why buying from a local, family-scale farm is important,"

I think it might be the fact that I grew up on a farm that I am so connected to the seasons. I think I am the only one in my neighborhood that actually cans Tomatoes, Jams, and Jellies during the season. There are several things I will not buy out of season because they are very expensive and taste like crap. Reuters has a good article about community supported agriculture and people getting reconnected to the seasons.

Eating local.

I posted a link to a Studio Tulsa program earlier that mentions the problems with eating local. The Boston Globe has a good article about the limits of eating local. No civilization has ever been able to completely eat local produce. Since the beginning of cities and and the organization of human groups some of the things we consume have been imported. Caravans and movement of food go back to the earliest books of the bible. So grow and eat what you can locally, but enjoy that fact the you can add black pepper.

It seems there may be more to the story.

It seems there may be more going on with CCD in India then just Cell Phone Towers.

Colony Collapse Disorder????

Is it Cell Phone Towers or Not. The article from India caught me by surprise. This claim was debunked in the United States, and Europe some time ago. In fact I can't seem to find anything newer the 2007 debunking the "Cell Tower" theory. I can tell you about my own experience. Being in an Urban area, my hives are surrounded by Cell Towers, and other sources of electromagnetic energy. My Bees seem to be able to leave and return.

Saving Bees: What we know now.

I was over working in the yard of my Bungalow, and there were Chives in bloom from gardens long past. I notices several Honey Bees working the blossoms so I left the plants for the bees to utilize. The other day I was in the middle of downtown and I saw some insects flying around a elm tree in the parking lot of Trinity Church. After closer inspection I identified them as Honey Bees collecting propolis. I don't know if there is a hives downtown or the Bees are ferrel, but it is a good sign to see so many Honey Bees living in an Urban Area. My hives would be about two miles from where I saw the Bees foraging. I know they are not the right color to be from my Italian Hive, but could be from my Okie mutt hive. Here is a article from the New York Times updating us on Colony Collapse Disorder.

Agriculture Weather for second week in September

Mesonet weather forcast of the second week of September.

a city-backed, many-tentacled urban agriculture network

I love that description. Here's the story.

Why do we not have anyone with a brain here?

Ten ways to encourage Urban Agriculture. During the Mayoral candidate debate last week I did not hear any of the candidates mention any of these ideas. Bartlett did talk about planting 1600 Pecan Trees on urban renewal land he bought on the cheap. Guess that will benefit North Tulsa. He can sell you pecans.

People rediscovering their rooftops.

Fascinating article about garden entrepreneurs. I love stories about people making money off their dreams. I never thought about the effects of storm water runoff on the environment.

I have two of of these spiders living over my compose bin.

I have always called them Orb spiders. I guess in doesn't matter what you call them just don't kill them. The two living over my compose bin eat an incredible amount of house flies.

Truck with Farm Sign Stolen

Our truck was stolen yesterday morning - it's a 91 Dodge Ram 4 X 4 short, wide blue and silver in need of a new paint job truck. It was stolen off Alt 75 where you turn to come up the hill to our home - we had a sign in the back end to help people know we are here selling vegetables at the farm. The tag had expired in August, it is probably in some mud pit stuck - it gets lousy gas mileage but it was paid for and we need it back. Please keep your eyes open. We were planning on buying some 4 X 8 materials for the building, and we need it to haul off a few loads of trash - and it comes in handy when we can find time to go gather someone's manure - so we really need it for the farm.

6 can Salad

Part of food security is being able to make a quick cheap dish or make things from what you have in the pantry. This recipe is made from things I always keep on hand. I know a lot of people have issues with canned vegetables but when you can them yourself like me then that is what you use. I also like the 5 for a dollar sales at the store. Here is my recipe for 6 can Salad.

1 can of black beans rinsed.
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of garbonzo beans
1 can of whole kernel corn
2 cans of green beans
1 medium onion
4 stalks of celery
Salt and pepper to taste.

Dressing:
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp dried italian season herbs
1 tbsp dijon mustard.

Make dressing so ingredients will have time to rehydrate. Open can of black beans and dump in colander. Rinse well. Open the rest of the cans and dump into the colander with the black beans. Let them drain for 10 or 15 minutes or salad will be watery. Chop up onion and celery. Mix all ingredients together and chill before serving. The salad is better if made the night before and well chilled before serving.

Wonderful Idea.

If you have to plant plants. You might as well plant something useful.

Two acre of eden or the vacant lot next door.

It is interesting how things run in cycles. I have lived though a "back to the land movement" also in the 1970s. The one difference I have notice this time is that back to the land seems to be back to any land. Whether it be a two acre plot just outside of town, a vacant lot, or a rooftop. This movement seems to be more about substance then profit. People seem to be tried of "just add water" food. I want food that tastes good. I don't care about plants bred to be easy to grow and have a long shelve life. I wouldn't want to completely eliminate our food system. It is nice to be able to purchase green beans when you crop fails. But the trend seems to be if it is vacant they will plant.

Anyone feeling philanthropic?

It would be great of someone would consider starting a chapter here in Tulsa. I know several community gardens who would appreciate the help. Plus 1.7 million into the local economy is nothing to sneeze at.

I think it may be time for city governments to wake up and smell the coffee.

I know. I know. I am great about bashing cities for outlawing food. But just like my posts about Honey Bees in Manhattan it is going to happen. Once again I shrug my shoulders and think "Just what planet are these politicians living on?".

In my quest to eat more honey.

I happened to come across a Paula Deen recipe for a green bean salad. In classical cooking this would be the base for a Salad Nicoise. Of course I altered the recipe to use honey and it turned out very tasty. This makes a large bowl to serve at a cook out or pot luck. For those of you who preserve your green beans and new potatoes together this recipe is perfect to make a quick salad out of them.

Take 3 pounds of medium size red potatoes. Cut them in half,then quarter the halves. You want them bite size but not too small. Cook them until tender. You want them done but still firm enough to hold their shape.

Take two pounds of green beans. I used two frozen bags because my fresh green beans didn't make it this year. Cook the green beans per directions on the bag. If you are using fresh from the garden you will need to cook them longer. Just like the potatoes you want them done, but not chewy or mushy.

You could use canned potatoes and green beans and fore go the cooking process.

It is very important that you drain your potatoes and green beans well. If they are too wet the dressing will not coat them and the salad will be watery.

Dressing:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup of dijon or grain mustard
1/4 cup of honey.

Adjust mustard and honey to taste. I ended up adding more honey. You want it thick enough to coat the potatoes and green beans.

Toss potatoes, beans and dressing together. Salt and pepper to taste. Paula recommends serving at room temperature. I chilled it overnight so I could safely leave the salad out during the picnic. It does taste better at room temperature, but be careful as to how long it sits out. Potatoes will go bad quickly in warm weather.

Rule number one: No Swatting.

I was in a bee yard a few months ago standing about 100 feet from the hives when I got stung. I didn't swat the bee but I did quickly remove the stinger from my leg. The bees last act before dieing what to release the panic pheromone. Before I could react I was suddenly surrounded by thousands of bees. No one had a smoker lit and I wasn't wearing protection because I wasn't planning on being around the hives. The other beekeepers asked me to go sit in the car, which at the time seemed like a good idea. After I left the scene, the Bees calmed down. This story illustrates just how quickly an alarm pheromone can signal bees to attack. First of all I don't think it is natural to moved hives around. Stress could be a factor in causing the attack. But when you make your living moving hives around for pollination, you make overlook some behavior problems because it may cut into your profits. I hope the young man recovers.

How to reassure the public.

When you place an apiary on the rooftop of the convention center in the middle of a metropolitan center you have to do something to reassure the public. We don't need no stinkin veil these Bees love me.

I think it might just be plain old human nature.

I don't know about the rest of you, but sometimes I just don't seem to realize what I have. I know this is a theme played out in popular culture as in "There is no place like home". Humans seem to long for something they already have. Like when a child wants more toys when they already have a toy box full of toys. This is why this article caught my attention. In the book The rise of the Creative Class. Rich Florida talks about chasing after economic development when tax dollars are better spent supporting and nurturing the small enterprises already in the community. But then the grass is always greener over the septic tank.

I may have posted about this group before.

I heard about the Chicago Honey Co-op sometime back and I really admire the service to the community they provide. Here in Tulsa this group and apiary would be illegal. I don't know why Tulsa and Oklahoma politicians stay awake at night trying to think of new laws to stop the local beekeepers from packaging and selling their honey. Seems like someone doesn't like the "buy fresh buy local" or "buy from the producer" model of business. I could see them using draconian measures in response to a major outbreak of honey born illness, but I don't think anyone can produce evidence or scientific research to backup the need for all these current and proposed regulations. Sometimes you just have to wonder who is behind all of this???

The new buzz word.

Reburbia

Detriot seems to always be in the news.

Once again I am thinking about Detroit. I remember watching a anthropologist on TV talking about how American hasn't the ruins of cities like other parts of the world. Detroit might be the first one. But like the phoenix maybe Detroit can be reborn into an Agraian Paradise. But there may have to be some changes in the Zoning Laws first. Here is a photo tour of the ruins of Detroit. A City that once had a population of 2 million people. And some people think times are tough here.

Agriculture Weather for first week of September.

Your agriculture forcast for the first week of September.

Saturday Garden Blogging and DailyKos.

Saturday Morning Garden Blog at DailyKos. Read, post and rec.

Reality Becomes Cartoon

A few days ago I found the front door open about a foot. I thought about all the creepy crawlies that had probably used the opportunity to sleeze into the house and last night I saw one. I was sitting at the computer, decided it was time for bed, got up, turned around and across the bedroom-turned-office ran a huge wolf spider (we always call them garden spiders).

I grab my shoe to go after him and he happens upon a plastic baggy (my office looks like a natural disaster of papers and baggies are used to hold 3 X 5 index cards to name plants) sitting on the floor. He is at sonic speeds but when he hits that plastic, the legs are going 90 miles a second but the spider is spinning his wheels. He is ice skating on plastic. I started laughing so hard I couldn't get a good aim and he got away. I hate killing big monsters but then I don't like finding them crawling in my home. Maybe I'll find him again and use a glass and get him out during more daylight hours.

This spider is kind of fascinating - it does and can bite but I beleive you have to catch him/her and pinch the snot out of it to get the bite. The spider also carries its young for a while - if you come across a wolf spider and it's butt end looks huge and furry, that's a lot of babies clinging to its mom being protected by her. If you cause her to make a sudden move, a few of the babies will fall off and then run back to get on board again. I used to be terrified of these, don't like to be surprised by them still as they do become huge but if possible they go out - unless it is very late, I am dressed for bed and my only choice is to protect myself for the night. Just remember a spider is a gardening buddy - he's eating bugs that can do major damage.

Darn I missed it.

Yesterday was National Honey Bee Awareness Day. Maybe we should give the Honey Bee a whole weekend. Seems fitting to me.

Preserving our bounty.

I did not seem to get as much of a surplus this year as I have in years past. I think the wet spring started me off on the wrong foot and thing did not seem to get better. For those of you who did get a bumper crop. Here is a guide to deal with the surplus

Agriculture Weather for last week in August

Here is your Agriculture Weather for the last week in August.

Squash - Feast time

I planted just about 20 plants - most are all different varieties - black, yellow and white pattypans, yellow straight neck, papaya, cocozelle, greyzini, black zuchinni, eight-ball and zepher - half yellow, half green. I am now overrun. Same with the sweet peppers.

Yesterday, in an effort to use up many of them, besides selling them, I cooked stuffed peppers, stuffed an eight-ball zuck, made two large foil pans of two different kinds of squash casserole and filled the freezer.

I took some recipes from the net and modified them - one casserole had bread crumbs, 2 cans each of cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup, onions and peppers and herbs and the other was filled with rice and sliced tomatoes, basil, onions and peppers. I had the oven on from about 10:30 to 4:45. Today I plan to tackle Zuchinni bread - oh joy! I'd rather grow it than cook it - ain't that lazy.

Actually, I am often very worn out and tired by the time I really put in some major gardening. It took us eight days to put the blackberries right - we will need to continue to walk thru weekly and tie up the new growth - three rows will receive brand new supports in Sept or Oct and we will transplant that area fully before winter sets in.

But one of my casseroles tastes and smells like Italy and the other is warm and comfy with the creamed soups. The stuffed bells - nummy. Now I can work me butt off (wish I could literally) and still eat a homecooked meal or at least make a quick side dish with a nuke box.

I need some lazy time today - for a bit - but there's a ton of maters, squash, cherries are loaded again - not sure if I am complaining - or braggin!

Make it yourself.

I ran across this Salad Dressing recipe on The Splendid Table. I think I have crossed it with something I read somewhere else. It has worked so well for me I thought I would share it with everyone.

First buy a container of dried minced onion, minced garlic, and Italian Seasoning, or process and dry them from your garden. I will cover the "process your own" later when I get my process developed.

1 Teaspoon each of the onion, garlic, and Italian Seasoning is the same thing you get in those Italian Dressing packages. So don't buy those any more just make your own.

I bought a 2 cup plastic measuring cup with a lid from Reasors to make it in.

In your measuring cup add:

1 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning.

Add:

1/2 cup Vinegar
1/2 cup Oil
1 tbls Dijon Mustard

Shake well.

Always allow enough time to rehydrate the dry ingredients before serving. You can use any vinegar you like. They all seem to work well, however plain white distilled is a little harsh. Red wine vinegar gives it a gourmet flavor. Always use Canola oil or Olive Oil period. Anything else will clog your arteries. Don't be afraid to experiment with this dressing works on lettuce or other veggie salads. Wonderful in a three bean salad. It is just a great quick dressing that will have people say WOW.

Bon appetite

Obligations and Farmers

A person called Sunday and set an appointment to come to my farm at 9:30 Tuesday. Tuesday morning comes and another person who should know better calls before 9:00 am - my husband works nights so he really needs his sleep and any calls before 9:00 am really roust up our home. I may be up, but the ringing phone - well, let's just say it isn't much fun. The same person called again after I had trotted back into bed in less than 5 minutes - ok, that's it, let's get up. Oh, we have enough time to go eat I think. Hurry.

Then upon discovering it is not enough time, I berate myself for my lack of judgement, my own idiocy, my inconsideration for myself and tell my husband to go, that I must wait on this appointment despite my total disappointment at not having breakfast out with my husband. I cannot find a phone number even using the net. I am stuck, this is my fault.

He leaves to eat by himself feeling guilty and I eat cheese and crackers at the computer. About 9:15 I got a phone call from the person with the appointment - she's getting new stuff for her home - someone is installing it for her cheaply and she's at Lowe's. Another time she says. She has no idea how badly I treated myself in an effort to be home to help her with plants and plant material. I was going to let her take cuttings on my plants of material she could use. For free. I honestly told my husband I would not be making any money off this person because I was willing to help. I treated myself badly to help another who in turn failed to keep the appointment she set.

Does she know any of this - no because I am either too considerate to say this on the phone or too afraid of hurting her feelings but I am very cold in our conversation because I wanted to explode. The phone caller doesn't know either.

But my feelings/life has been slightly disturbed by a general forgetfulness of moral obligation to either keep their word or consider hours husbands work.

Farming is a lifestyle, works best with no interruptions, distractions and other assorted problems. It is now almost 10 am, my day feels shot, my head is beginning to hurt and I hate feeling upset over something that might seem so trivial to others. It is trivial, truly it is. But my time is precious - if you plan to visit a farm to pick, be on time. If you make appointments, keep them. I love being helpful, useful, kind. But damn, I hate feeling used.

Growing More Tomato Plants

OK - here's a simple trade secret for this time of year. Do your tomatoes look rough, dying from the bottom up and the tops are falling over the tops of your cages but the tomatoes are getting smaller as we go into fall. You don't want to lose your production but what does one do?

Cuttings. Get a bag of perlite from whereever (I hate WalMart but they do carry small bags). Get a wide low pot and place a plastic bag into it. Poke a hole in the bottom of the bag thru the pots normal drain hole - not all drain holes - just one -three holes is enough - we are working on slowing down the water drainage. Fill the pot with perlite and be careful of the dust that will come out of the bag - you don't want to get this in your nose or lungs. Now water the perlight until is just about floats - you want it nice and wet but it should also be draining.

It needs to be at least 4 inches deep - I usually almost fill an eight inch deep container so I use about 7 inches myself. Take a pencil/pen/stick and poke a hole. Well, go get a dozen cuttings if that pot is at least 10 inches across first - about the last 8 inches of the growing tips of plants you want to keep growing from your tomato patch. Taking a glass of water to stick them in is not a bad idea.

Now go back to your perlite filled pot and stick the first tomato cutting down into the first hole you poked. Now move over a bit and poke another hole and stick the plant into that hole. Keep up the process until you have about 12 plants stuck into the perlight (do strip back excess leaves along the stems about as long as your holes are deep). After you have all the plants in each pot, water once more and make sure it is draining well. Place in a shadier spot only to protect the plants from a lot of direct hot sun. Wait two weeks watering at least once per day - if the temps are over 85, twice a day may be adviseable but once usually is enough - water logging is not advised - make sure it does drain.

At the end of two weeks, pull the plastic sack up out of the pot and test the plants for rooting. I don't use any hormones. If you find they have a nice rootball started, transplant into pots for a few weeks to give them a shot of growth before transplanting your new plants to the garden. Be careful not to crush off the new roots - they will be quite tender.

Overstuffing the plants into the perlight can cause rot. We had 16 each in two pots and lost 4 in one - they were hollow and rotty so don't expect 100% replacement - best to do more pots than overcrowd a few if you want a ton more plants.

Taadah! Tomatoes you can guarantee are clones of the ones you have been growing and successful with for fall planting.

USDA Honey Report for July

Here is the USDA Honey Report for July. Prices seem to be stagnate. Most Beekeepers are telling me supplies are tight with little extra honey to extract. The report claims demand is high for local honey. I have not extra honey. Being a beginner my Bees seem to be storing plenty for themselves but are still drawing out the comb in my supers.

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging

Garden Blogging at DailyKos. Recommend and Post.

For those lucky enough to have a Pecan tree

Time to check and see if you crop needs thinning.

Agriculture Weather for third week in August

Here is the Mesonet forcast for next week.

Gardening Spirits

I went out to cut blackberries back - old canes must go, new growth has to be tied up or the tips start new plants and take root in the mowing area and that becomes the biggest mess. The old dead oak in the driveway area needs to come down but two Mississippi kites have used the tree as a mating and dating tree. One of them was watching me for about 10 to 15 minutes - I was watching back. These birds are not large and have a light grey head and grey plummage and a scissor type tail - it called a couple of times - that was awesome too.

The canes in one row were cut out quicker when David joined me. We cut, then tied and then David drove to town to buy a new tool because he could not find the driver for the little bolts he was using to keep the wire tight - it had gotten so loose from the snow and even after tightened, we could tell we needed a winch instead of simply pulling the wire. I used the weedeater around the base of the plants for the worst of the weeds, mowed and got one row cleaned up. It gets late fast after the having the morning get started so badly.

We ended up getting the watering done, mowing the front yard up to the Gourd Trellis. This picture is from last year - when I had the gourds in pots and I think this is after the hail damage. This year I wanted them in the ground so they look different - still I need to take new pictures.

I only picked tomatoes today - I hate to pick more than I can sell and setting out the signage with all the work didn't happen. I spend way to much time losing things - we spend way too much time losing things cuz that's why David had to buy a new tool and at one time I had cutters for the blackberries and when I went back to do more, poof, gone. I think I need a keeper.

Well, we all need a keeper - something to keep us motivated, that gives us hope, that fills the void. I've spoken about religion before - and I thought I need to clarify myself a bit - but I'd really like to share part of where I am after I give you a place to go hunt and read up for yourself. I took a test many years ago - it is on a spot called selectsmart.com and it is called the religion selector. I took the test and then asked my husband to do the same. I ended up with a leaning toward Quakerism - and last night I went and got a gun. I wasn't born Quaker but I do lean toward that idealism of pascifism and simplicity. My husband scored high on believing in Reform Judiasm - I'd love to know where you readers stand on this - not to argue, not to create strife but because I am a curious cat. I don't think I could have shot the gun at anyone - but it is funny how fear can affect one's position. What's funny is I bet all of you thought I was either wiccan or native American in my faith.

Running Late

David's still asleep. His job keeps changing him from one shift to the other - now he's off Thursday, Friday and Saturday because someone on the other shift wanted to change and he doesn't get home until 3 am. Puts us behind - I sit at the computer putzing and I should be outside picking or mowing or something useful but last night someone called late and said they would be here after 7 pm - and since the hour kept getting later and later, well, I finally locked everything and because I had posted veggies for sale on craigslist and the recent craigslist scare, I got scared. I even got the gun out and kept working on my paperwork. No, I don't know how to shoot the gun, but it is big enough to be scary. And I think it was paranoa more than rational - a customer had warned my husband that opening our home to customers was dangerous.

I don't get scared easily or often - my dogs set to barking and that's usually all that will alert me to go take a look. If they ain't barking, I ain't looking and so last night was very unusual - it also caused me to lock the screen door - rolls eyes - so here comes hubby home at 3 am and he can't get into the screen door. So he walks around the house and bangs on the window - upright and aware I've locked out my husband, I sprang up startled and my stomach tied in a knot. That's the real reason I am late in getting around. I don't want to get started yet myself.

But we will spend most of today mowing, picking and we will put our signage out to say we are open to our local neighbors - selling local works so much better for us. One of our waittresses was disgusted with the local tent in Sapulpa - the one that buys all its goods from Conrads or Carmichaels. The one that wanted to give us a pittance on our blackberries last year. The one I won't stop and shop at. The one that now has such a bad reputation with her because those peaches had the word California stuck on them and she stopped to buy Porter peaches. You all watch out for those silly tents - those 20 X 40 tents aren't farmers' markets.

I really believe in today's economy that growing your own is prefered - yes I really do. In fact, I simply don't grow food I don't like so turnips won't be found here - so if you want them, you need to find a grower who grows them or grow them yourself. But there's an income to be had by selling my own homegrown veggies directly to the consumer and I am very proud of my produce. I don't sell it higher because I don't use chemicals, I don't sell it cheaper either. I ask a fair price.

So I guess I've spent a bit of time releasing last nights fear since not a darn thing happened except to impose fear on myself, set up a red flag on those temporary tents where the food may or may not be local and warned ya to doublecheck and let you know if you want turnips - try another farm or grow them yourself - doing it yourself is highly satisfying. It teaches you values, reliability, connects you to our planet, gives you a healthy hobby and smiles - gets you outta my hair - grins.

Note from Crosbie Heights Community Farm

"We here at the Crosbie Heights Community Farm have a few new things going on that I would like everyone to know about.
First off we are starting an educational garden/farm/agriculture workshop every 3rd Thursday of each month. August will be the first month and the workshop will be on saving seeds. 6:30 pm at the garden or the Blue Jackalope. Nothing too fancy, just some basic seed saving tips and demos. Free.
Also, we are having a garden fundraiser/ potluck/ block party on Sunday the 23rd of August. We are having some bands play outside, as well as art installations in the garden and of course free food! Activities will start around 6:30."

Not sure who this is from, or who you would contact for more information.

NEOBA is moving.

Good but sad. NEOBA has out grown the Extension Office facilities. Starting in September, meetings will be held at Eastside Christian Church on the NE corner of 15th and Harvard.

Rain Rain Rain

If I didn't have to go to the NEOBA meeting I would let myself get absolutely soaking wet.

NEOBA Meeting

Tonight at 6:30pm Tulsa County Extension Office on 15th Street just east of Amory.

More Vertical Farming Information

http://www.cleantech.com/news/4629/vertical-farm-feed-animals-uk-zoo

http://cc.pubco.net/www.valcent.net/i/misc/HDVG/index.html for the video on what it looks like basically

Gardening and Religion

I don't know how other people feel, but gardening connects me to my own religion - or belief system. It doesn't connect me to most formal religions though.

Della, my beekeeper friend, and I picked Friday for the weekend sales. I had a lot of cukes and peppers left - and about 3 days and they need a home so I called Sapulpa's Presbyterian Church because i know they prepare meals for the elderly and shut-ins on Tuesdays. Yesterday, Della, Ginger and I had a Sunday of fun - we had lunch, then they came out and we discussed a book Della had on Yoga - something she does. Mostly we visited and talked and discussed our individual views and our connections and disconnections with various aspects of the faiths of our youth. Sorry, but we all have moved well left of those beliefs. After a bit of discussion, they both insisted they each had a portion of my sidewalk that is supposed to be nothing but a rock bed in front of the house but always ends up being a weed pit. Customers showed up, I had to visit with them and Ginger and Della were already pulling weeds and calling for a wheelbarrow - I had to empty it about 3 times and then we got hot enough a sitdown spell was required. I passed out cukes and cherry tomatoes and water and wet rags for our heads.

I've always said David and I do all our work ourselves - but the few weeks back when teachers helped plant lemon grass and my friends pulling weeds means I have had a bit of help - even in previous years I've had a day or two of good friends showing up for a day of weed pulling - it's far between though.

Ginger wanted to test my rolling Poulin weedeater - she's got bad knees but by golly, she enjoyed whacking down all the weeds that hid the onions from our view - a few got splattered - those were separated and have already gone with 20 lbs of cukes and 20 beautiful peppers to the Church. Those onions won't keep and need to be used now - I can't eat 3 pounds at once.

I don't mind giving to the church and being that I am legally a business, I also ask for tax credit letters. I suggested cukes, onions and bells in vinegar to make a salad to add to tomorrow's deliveries. Most older Americans remember that tangy summer salad. I carried the stuff down to their kitchen and laid it on the counter and as I returned up the hall, asked to be shown into the office manager's area so that I could give her a list of the delivery with my address. I stated that they needed to be refrigerated - she started to instruct me as to put them in and I immediately said, Not my job. I kind of had that Little Red Hen feeling. I grew it, I washed it, I kept is nice and cold for 3 days and I weighed it and carried it to her.

One other thing bothered me - the lady who showed me to the kitchen was the housekeeper, the lady at the desk was a receptionist and the woman who runs the office who I spoke to last - well, they are all women. But the church hallway had photos of their elders - black and white photos of men from many years back. All white too. I didn't notice nor could I have able to tell if any had Native American blood but none were black. Our world is still white male dominated - don't get me wrong, I love men in general. But it's still out of balance. Women have worked hard all their lives in religious orders but unless your the lone Virgin - well, there's not a lot of honor in being female. It must have shown terribly on my face - the housekeeper asked me if I was ok and I just kind of stuttered - their pictures bothered me as they were all white men. I doubt these women caught the inference. I just wish women had had a greater role and maybe we would be further down a spiritual evolution.

Since we are not, I'll stick to the garden - grins - one day I'll convert the greenhouse into the Plastic Cathedral of the Good Mother Earth News - where we will literally be sowing seeds. God help us feed ourselves and our nation.

Sorry I'm On The Late Show

The past couple of weeks have been hectic to say the least, and with it time to plant my fall garden I don't see much free time in the near future. Here is June's USDA Honey Report. The report mentions that Colony Collapse Disorder seems to be have run it's course in California. I am curious if this is true for the rest of the United States. Here is the Grading Standards if you are wondering why some honey is more expensive than others.

I Almost Forgot.

Saturday Morning Garden Blog at Dailykos. Recommend and Post.

Old Industrial Area's Don't Have To Be Torn Down.

I love it when I come across articles about reuse of old urban areas. When I was a boy in Tahlequah, there was an urban fish farm. It wasn't a visionary enterprise but rather had the purpose of raising fish to populate the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller. I use hang out for hours and watch the baby fish swim up and down the raceways.

Don't Know If I Like This Idea.

I live on a very large urban lot. I fact my yard is two and a half lots. It would be nice not have to mow, but how do you keep Goats out of your garden and eating everything. Plus just having a dog as big as a goat keeps me busy cleaning up the yard.

Is This For Real???

Vertical Farming? What a fanciful idea.

Local Beekeepers Question Thursday's TW Article.

Here is the quote from Linda Harbinger in question:

"I've got one hive that's kind of nasty," she said. "But they're producing a 100-pound box of honey every week, so they can be nasty so long as they keep producing like that."

I have to admit this is hard to believe. According to the University of Kentucky average yield would be 50 pounds per hive per year. I am not planning on getting any honey this year. I just hope my bee's collect enough to survive the winter. The posts are on the NEOBA forum if you are curious about the discussion.

Agriculture Weather for the first week of August

They don't have a forecast to post. Apparently Mesonet has some issues. But it rained last night so our soil moisture content should be high.

Our Tax Dollars at Work

As I was posting the weather forecast for this week. I was clicking around the Mesonet website, and they do not have a link for Tulsa. I guess we just don't show up on the Radar. Mesonet seems to have some DNS issues too (Webpage doesn't load everytime). I think I will send my state representatives an email and ask them why the second largest city in Oklahoma doesn't seem to warrant a monitoring station or agriculture weather forecast to help us grow our food. Oklahoma City seems to have 4 links to pinpoint their forecast. One would think a large portion of "The Mesonet" funding comes from the citizens of Tulsa, and we would at least get a fricking link on their webpage. Okay I vented. I feel better now.

Beekeeping closer to home.

This mornings Tulsa World highlights some local beekeepers.

PBS - Nature on Colony Collapse Syndrome

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/video-full-episode/251/

Woke up this morning at 5:30 and turned the TV on - caught the last bit of this show. If we don't keep the bees safe they could be gone by 2035. If they go, food goes. Thank you NEOBA for all that you do to keep bees safe.

Good for you Mr Johnson.

I don't like to use chemicals in my Hives or Garden. Why would people put that stuff in their food.

Saturday Morning Staple

The Garden Blog is up at Dailykos. Post and Rec. Cool Bee pictures on the top page.

Those pesky Queens.

I never can seem to find the Queen either. I guess with more practice it will get easier. Take a moment to view the slide show. I love the prairie roof tops, and the classic British WBC HIves.

Close to old home.

I came across this annoucement in the Chronicle the other day. Not big news but it is one block down the street from my old flat.

Agriculture Weather for the last week in July

Here is the agriculture weather for the last week in July. Isn't this cooler weather wonderful.

This is a good start.

I wish that this class was a little more urban oriented. But then again they are growing in a green house.

Hard Times, Seeing the Gap up Close

My husband and I just ran out for breakfast - we stopped to get gas down the road and since I didn't want to write a check for an entire tank, I grabbed a $10 out of my purse. David just finished and was screwing the top on when a very small person came up to me and was crying - she was late, could we give her a ride to WalMart at 75 and 121st - that new Glenpool WalMart. She's small built but not a child - 31 years old. Her car is broken, she has to be at WalMart by 10 and it's already almost 10 after.

Of course we can, I opened the back door of the station wagon and started throwing things off the back seat that is laying down. David runs to the other side and also begins the fast flinging of garden flags and cardboard and signage materials. We get the seat raised and she jumps in. I asked her her age - I could tell she wasn't a kid after she spoke but wasn't sure how old she really was - younger than my own daughter at 31 she is. I told her we didn't shop at WalMart anymore and if she had been late lately - No she replied hoping not to get into trouble. She lives near the high school but her three kids are staying in Tulsa. Probably can't pick them up to bring them home and her accent indicates she's not local. She's lived here a while but is from New York originally.

Times are rough and this is just a speck of what is underlying in this nation. As we drop her off, I hand her a napkin with my first name and phone number on it. I tell her I can be called here and there for rides - in case she needs further assistance. It scares me to think of my daughter walking to work.

David and I begin to talk after we head back to the house - about how the economy is affecting those in our country - the widening gap. There's the Haves and the Have Nots. David is angry and says something about the Haves not sharing and I said it is worse than that. I said that those who don't have, really don't have much at all - car broke, probably can't afford to fix it, new cars can't be fixed with duct tape and wire. Children being cared for in Tulsa while she lives in Sapulpa - that's another indication of lack of food or space. And I said gently to my husband, David we are the Haves. No we aren't rich, we live just a bit above paycheck to paycheck but the bills are paid. Our credit scores are high enough and we just refinanced our house - our payments are cheaper than buying a car now. My car is paid for - I have. We have. If David got laid off, we'd Have Not. It is a scary time - I'll teach anyone how to grow food. Anytime, anywhere I can afford to go.

Unbelievable.

Some Politicians just don't seem to have a brain. I love this quote it is right up there with Jack Henderson's Marijuana comment.

"I don't know of anybody who's against people growing their own food in the city but there are concerns that need to be addressed," said Kelly, citing issues such as making sure hoop houses are kept in good condition.

We are talking about Flint Michigan for crying out loud. A City that has 2700 or more abandoned city lots. We don't care about the blight and decaying building, but don't let that Hoophouse go into disrepair. There has to be more behind this. Nobody is this stupid. Just like Tulsa, pass zoning to prevent a better life.

Farmadelphia?

I ran across this article on the web. I had forgotten about Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City. But then I don't get reminded about it every day like some Oklahomans.

Weekly Mulch

The Weekly Mulch at Dailykos.

Saturday Morning Staple

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging at Dailykos. Post and Rec it up.

Agriculture Weather for the next week.

Here is the Mesonet Forecast for the upcoming week.

Subaru and South Jersey Food Bank

I drove Fords for years but bought a Geo Prism back in 96 and drove that car for 14 years. The engine was great but the transmission had been replaced during a vacation to Colorado. I began to research what kind of auto I needed and I began to look for station wagons. A few mechanics said the Taurus transmission would go out at about 70,000 miles - yuck. So I ended up with a Subaru Legacy in 2004 - it was brand new, standard shift and green. The grant writer at the Tulsa Indian Clinic has one just like it, same color. I've been told that there are a few drivers in the Tulsa area that have 700,000 miles on their autos - my goal is 1M.

I get the DRIVE magazine and it usually has a bit of Green information in it. In South Jersey, they have a food bank that now receives a portion of the garden plots on Subaru headquarters in Cherry Hill, NJ. 10' X 10' plots are adopted by 8-12 employee teams - it doesn't say how many plots total are producing. But isn't that kind neat - http://www.foodbanksj.org/ or check out the Community: Wonderful Days Preschool at http://www.drive.subaru.com/.

Cool they got it fixed.

Yeah I can post again.

Beekeepers Notice

NEOBA Meeting tomorrow night Monday July 13 7:00 PM at Tulsa County Extension Office on 15th Street.

Downtown Tulsa Farmers' Market

I started the farmers market in 2007 - we had road construction, barriers, dust, rain, about 4 vendors and we struggled. I dressed up like a clown one day - scared people. Passed out zinnia's. Still, we did not have crowds and I myself had very little produce - spring rains virtually drowned parts of my yard.

Last year was a second year of rough and hard going. We had a few new vendors - Ritchie's blackberries, Rex's peppers and tomatoes, Melinda, Collinsville's market manager anchored the first two years and we had a few come and go.

I drove to the market day before yesterday. OMG - must have been close to 10 tents - flowers, fruit, tomatoes, veggies galore. Plants here and there and good old Bear was with his momma - Catherine. I all but cried when I drove away from the market after meeting new vendors and asking Melinda how it was going with her acting as temporary market manager. I felt like a momma who was just seeing her child off to kindergarden. It can walk, talk, potty and manage without me.

17 years ago my dream was to farm my land, sell what I could here and not run all over but farmers markets were the only means for me to get to the public. That urge took hold again and my heart could not make me get to the market this year. 16 years I sold at markets - loaded up after picking the day before, early hours, heat, sidewalks and tables. Now the market is loaded with all the produce a person could hunt for, there's about 10 families adding precious incomes to their lives all because I wanted to put a market in the very location I used to work. Technically, I am president of the market. I still answer questions, manage the localharvest web page, field phone calls and help as I can - but from a distance.

It was a beautiful sight to behold - a market in Downtown Tulsa - at the base of the BOK between the hotel and the PAC. Thriving.

Turtles and Tomatoes

The first year we moved out here David mowed over a turtle and really scuffed up the shell - this animal became very fond of cat food - she'd live in my front flower bed and when we saw her, she was generally after the cat food on the driveway. Within a few more years another turtle appeared in the yard and had a bit of shell missing over his left shoulder.

Scuff had yellow eyes, Notch has red. I have not seen Scuff in a couple of years - I am not sure if she wondered off to mate -and she was healing so she may have lost the rest of her scuffing but Notch was in the yard near the pond this morning. Here I am watering and I see this turtle scuttling along with that missing shell. I scooped him up, cooing over him being around still, well away from the tomato patch that I have never seen this turtle get near. He didn't close the shell, didn't hide his head - just kept looking at me like I was the nut that I am. I literally pet his head - no fear. Scuff was never that friendly - she was shy and usually stuck her head out only to eat the cat food and then when we were not watching, she'd dive for a hole in the flowerbed.

Keeping Seeds Safe

Four days ago, David said the freezer is messed up - it did not get closed properly and we needed to thaw it out. I put it off a day - dumb! What's even dumber is that after all these years - I still had seeds in cardboard boxes - shoe boxes no less. I did stick most seeds into baggies too.

I know most people will advise you to keep the seeds in a cool dry spot. But when you read about the seed storage facilities around the world, they are deep into the earth, and frozen. I started freezing my seeds 16 years ago - and some of my seeds are still viable and 16 years old.

So I pulled boxes that were covered in layers of frozen frosty fluff. One box was literally froze at the very top - I dug into it tearing the cardboard and digging into it to pull every package of seed out - the only one that was absolutely ruined was the rutabegas, rutabeggas - heck, I can't even spell it. David had to have those old turnip like things. These seeds were wet, had germinated and needless to say, after the package dried out, so had the seedlings.

For three days I have been sorting, bought some very inexpensive plastic containers at a dollar store and it has taken 13 of them to hold all the seed - the last two containers are - well . . . not exactly anything in particular so I need to separate them a bit more. One almost took my breath - I dumped a small box of habanero peppers that had been dried and the capsican in those is scarey. I can guarantee cleared sinus and dead brain cells with that container.

So as a warning - use better containers than cardboard boxes for seeds in the freezer - the results could have been a lot worse.

Sad but true

Some politicians just don't get it.

The battle continues.

Once a movement gets started it can be like a Snowball rolling down a hill. I would have attended just to get some of the honey-coated pork ribs and honey glazed donuts.

This seems to be all too common anymore.

What is the old saying. "You can't fight City Hall."

Chickens the new thing in Baltimore.

I ran across this story from Baltimore about urban Chickens. My Mother would not understand giving a Chicken a name. Where I grew up she made it clear to me at a early age that the animals on the farm are not pets. I hope the City of Baltimore shows some common sense in re-writing the zoning laws. You can not outlaw peoples food.

WalMart wants my Produce

Got an email from a WalMart produce manager wanting my produce - I said I was too small, liked selling to the public and didn't like their ethics and I don't shop there anymore and to please remove me from a potential vendor list. My email was forwarded to a higher manager - who thinks I have bad information - it is very hard to be nice - I don't like WalMart - if they had ethics, there would be a store in North Tulsa - a grocery store.

I have a list of complaints now accumulated to send back to this manager telling her it isn't a beef with her that I have but one with their top management team. Anyone know if they have ever hired a hit man - lol? I may be in trouble after I mail this list. I even told her that I believe that all employees should believe in their companies ethics but don't ya have to live under a rock to not know that WalMart doesn't have any?

Then on the other hand - why should I burst her bubble - maybe I won't send this email. I'll let it sit for now.

100.3 and melting

I was outside until 4 pm today - mostly in the shade. I decided I wanted gourds despite the lateness of the season. We dumped out some huge pots of dirt full of worms. David tilled at 6 of the 8 legs of this big huge tent thing we are using for a trellis.

Added the pictures - worth a thousand words. Last year we had pots - as you can see in the picture at each leg - all was going well until we had that late hail storm the first week in May. Beat the plants terribly and they did grow but never fully recovered and pots just - well I heard this on TV I think - a plant in a pot is like a man in a hotel room. It just isn't home.

So I am late to get gourds planted and instead of pots, I had David till me about a 3 foot square hole at each leg and will use those large fake clay pots on this end for small gourds - and I tossed some potting mix that was full of worms and then a small shovel full of bunny manure and hand mixed until smooth and creamy - lol. David watched me kneel at each pile and shaking his head and said most people would either be grossed out or put on gloves - I like to feel the soil - and bunny poo is just little dry pellets - no stinkum.

This picture is a gourd I painted from a gourd we grew back in 2007 and it is about 15-16 inches in diameter so I really do want gourds big enough to paint on.

And I humped up the soil then flattened the top into mesa's, punched in the 3 fingers to make seed holes and into each inserted a single seed in hopes of getting one good healthy plant per mound - 3 won't hurt. But how to keep the dogs out. I ran to Lowes and found the plastic fencing wire - you can cut this stuff with scissors and asked for stakes - should have asked for ground staples - which they had and am going to cover all six mounds that are currently mulched with newspaper and fresh straw with tops of mesa's basically exposed with about 3' X 4' of this plastic wire to keep all the muttlies out of the 6 new spots - not much fun digging in secured piles - I hope.

But going back out at 6 pm proved too hot, too much sun exposure now that the sun is going down below the treelines and hot-diggity - gonna wait until tomorrow to finish the job. My thermometer says it is over 100 degrees F - too hot even for me now.

Now it is 8 pm - better go water again - plants in pots at this temperature means - another watering or they won't make it thru the evening hours.

Self Imposed Burn Ban

We piled grass, old canes and weeds in 5 piles around the blackberries - huge piles - we burned 2 of them and then I worried that we were cooking plants from the heat but we needed them gone so we laid a tarp down. This is a good method to move mass messes - garden messes. Instead of using a wheelbarrow use a cheap, plastic tarp. I learned this from a friend who installs plants in some of the finer neighborhoods in Tulsa - she has a few places where there's a ton of azaleas that are trimmed each year and it is a lot easier to toss the cuttings on the tarp - so if you find a part of your yard is well overgrown, try this.

The downside - this was enough plant material to literally fill the bed of a dump truck - not a pickup truck but a regular 3 axle dump truck. It took 7 loads - and is piled at the back of the garden where we put our chipping/shreddings. Eventually, it will be ground up and used as mulch.

We took a break this weekend from all the work and was watching an old western on THIS channel 6.3 - a handsome captain was assigned to an old general that didn't mind sacrificing his less well-trained calvarymen if it allowed him an advantage in fighting the Indians (remember, this was an old movie). The young captain had become a thorn in the general's side because he had seen him in action years earlier so the general intended to sacrifice him and his unit in a war with the Souix. I looked over at my husband and I told him, "Remember when we used to think the Calvary was the heros. Now, I am rooting for the Native Americans." He laughed - my, how times have changed both of us.

Anyone got any good suggestions on keeping digging dogs out of certain parts of the yard - I try to keep wet spots elsewhere but they sure like digging in the shade garden - where can I buy a huge can of cayenne pepper - like in lbs?

Some thrive and some struggle

As with life so it goes with community gardens.

Participation Park

What a cool name.

Keeping a lid on it.

I am so thankful that the state of Oklahoma enacted laws restricting municipalities from outlawing Beekeeping. Tulsa does put some restrictions on beekeepers but the state does not allow a outright ban. This article from the New York Times reminds me of how I felt when I decided to start keeping Bees. I would peek over the fence at my neighbors in their back yards and try to asses which ones were going to be troublemakers. Thankfully so far so good. Urban Apiculture is becoming popular even the Phantom of the Opera is getting into it.

Plans and reality

Seems that my plans and reality don't mix. I wanted to get a building electrified, add a sink, air conditioning and be selling vegetables in it this summer - rolls eyes - ain't happening.

Seems I stress over the yard too much - and when I look at other farms like the place I picked up my turkey chicks or when I visited a farm in North Tulsa, they both had knee deep weeds where one should normally mow. Mine have weeds where they should not grow - but there's a bit of wimsy and lushness to our place - lots of stuff growing.

I am basically going to be open from 7 am every morning starting Monday, June 22 - pickers time - anything later - can't afford to keep people alive in the heat. I'd love to share a look see at our farm for anyone reading this blog - this would be a good time to see exactly what the heck I do. I am no twinkling fairy godmother type - more dastardly grouchy about all the work it takes - but in one hours time I can tell you or show you more ways to do things than you might want to know. Be careful, I might let you weed.

The email list was sent last night - hoping that they all show up evenly over the next 3 weeks - berries take their time growing - then burst into production all within that 3 week period and poof they be gone.

I am expanding my vocabulary

Some of you may be familiar with this word but I have never heard of Xeriscaping. We always called Dry Farming. I guess in Colorado you can get a degree in Xeriscaping. Neet concept.

U of A providing "horticultural therapy"

A nice story from Russellville Arkansas.

Too Cute not to Share

This couple walked into the Mayo Clinic and finds a piano - may we all live so long - married 62 years and he's 90.

Enjoy.

http://www.fark.com/cgi/vidplayer.pl?IDLink=4365716

If you don't have a garden now may be the time.

International Report Predicts Decade of High Food Prices. I was at the grocery store yesterday, and I was shocked by the price of bell peppers. They were a dollar a piece. The size of the peppers were small and the color was pale green. I could not bring myself to buy one. I will be glad when my pepper plants start setting fruit.

Hey Kids make sure you use your "Crop Protection"

"With help from representatives from biotech business Monsanto" Bet this garden will not be organic.

Tacos - with Basil

I make the best tacos - and it is so simple.

I buy ground turkey and I use the 93% lean 7% fat and add olive oil as I brown it. I sprinkle it generously with Italian seasoning. I use bush's chili beans and mush them with a potato masher.

This is what I put on them today. I added home grown chopped onions, bell peppers, basil and cherry tomatoes, sharp shredded chedder cheese, a dab of sour cream and a spoonful of salsa - alas store bought but good enough. If you want to make them even better, add grapes. Serious! And make some homemade salsa using Mango's.

I only had two tortilla's but I piled the veggies on high and enjoyed the whole shebang 15 minutes ago. I ain't braggin' - it's a fact - they were good.

Della's Darlings

This bee gear look is kinda - well, you can't hardly tell who's who. Della Smith is adding bees to one of her new hives and she's on the left and Carl Harrison is using the tire iron to separate the frames to pull them out to look over the hive. The Bees were washboarding - as you can see by the darkness on the front of the hive.

This hive sits near the east side of the property line and these bees appear to be very tame and calm. We stood very near the entire process with bees flying all around and enjoyed watching and snapping pictures.

Here's David taking a very close look at the girls. I know he didn't think too much of the idea of having hives and yet, it didn't take long before he realized that these are not the bees of all the dramatic movies where someone is chased and covered in stings and laying twitching before being all but eaten alive by them.

Snakes at the Dragon

Remember the snake stories - here's David holding out the larger of several black snakes found this year. New neighbors may be the reason although we have always had black snakes take to the barn in search of mice. This was the egg eater in the previous posts. We just got this film developed.

We also moved some old carpeting to make a pad to keep grass from growing under some wooden tables and in the midst of those were a couple of ring neck snakes so we have variety.

I want to post some pictures of the cherry tomatoes so more pictures later.

Green Roofs are taking hold across the US

I hope the developers building all the new lofts in downtown Tulsa will give tenants access to the roofs. I need to install irrigation like in the picture. Every spring I talk about it. Then I don't get it installed, and I spend the summer wishing I had a easier way to water.