Compost

Making compost is a fairly simple matter and is the first step in the gardening process. If you are starting a new garden, establishing a compost pile is the very first thing to do. It is good to start composting a year before you start the garden. Here, we are starting some new garden areas to start using next year, and are piling up all sorts of vegetation for these areas. There are piles of leaves, weeds, and ferns.

Compost is black gold for the garden, and is invaluable in getting new soil productive, as well as for side dressing established plants. It conditions soil, adds nutrients, and can be used as mulch.

There are myths about making compost. One is that compost requires a bin or other enclosed area. Another is that weeds shouldn't be added to a compost pile. Neither is true.

A compost pile can be started as a simple pile on the ground; a bin or enclosure is not needed. We tried a hay bale enclosure one year, but found that the hay became a breeding area for slugs. The bales were full of them and it was nasty, disgusting, and gross to say the least. We have also used one of those round black plastic bins that are commonly sold as a fundraising effort through local organizations. We are happy to have contributed to the cause, and the bin worked out better than hay. But we abandoned it after discovering several families of well-fed mice comfortably ensconced in the finished compost at the bottom.

As for weeds, they are essential composting material and should not be trashed outside of the garden. Weeds, as they grow, extract nutrients from the soil, and those should be returned. I've added large quantities of weeds, especially dandelions, to compost piles over the years, and have never had dandelion or other weed infestation as a result. Our compost piles do not grow weeds. Oddly, tomato seeds seem to survive the heat of the pile, and we often have several tomato plants sprouting. This year a potato is growing.

There are other aspects of composting that are worth paying attention to. One is that when assembling a compost heap it should be made at least three feet across and three feet deep. A new heap can be started smaller and added to, but may not be fully effective. Really big piles can be too much work to turn. Three foot piles seem to work well for both the breakdown process, and for turning.

Another fact is that a combination of browned stuff with green stuff is what gets the pile to cook. I often save a pile of last fall’s leaves to layer with freshly picked weeds. The green and brown combination creates heat and the pile, if it is evenly moist but not wet, will actually ccok on the inside. This burns out seeds, and facilitates the break down process. Water the pile if it seems to be drying out. It should be kept evenly moist, but not wet. 

In hot summer weather a pile can break down in as little as two weeks. It helps to turn the pile several times to mix it and bring the bottom stuff to the top. Turning a pile is easy. Keep an unused area next to the pile. Using a four-prong cultivator (a hand tool), pull the pile into the empty space and leave it there. At the next turning, pull the pile back onto the previous area.

Having the pile directly on the ground is essential so it can be worked by earthworms and beneficial bacteria. The pile will attract plenty of worms; there is no need to buy them. There is also no need to buy bags of worm castings for your garden. Your finished compost will have plenty already.

We never turn compost in the winter, and it stacks up and becomes anerobic. In spring it is gooky and stinky. After it is turned to let some air in, the odor disappears and the compost returns to normal. 

Finished compost is black. Any color in the pile that is lighter than black is unfinished compost. Unfinished bits can be pulled out and used in a new pile. Use the finished compost as side dressing by your plants, spread it on garden beds after fall harvest, or work it into the soil. -jmm

Forest to Farm, and Permaculture: What's Happening in the Orchard?

Our orchard is only a handful of trees, one of many ways that it is different from larger commercial ones. We are homesteaders, not farmers, and our goals are less about production than simply being able to grow some healthy trees that will eventually bear fruit. Since we are operating on a very small scale, we have the freedom to experiment with some permaculture ideas. Click here for an earlier post on this. 

A fruit tree and companion plants

A swale is one of many ideas of permaculture, and last year I dug one, click here for the post. The fill has settled in; branches, rotting logs, leaves, and raked-up forest litter, and the swale now serves as a pathway. Beneath the surface, decaying organic matter absorbs water from heavy rains and winter snowfall. The moisture then leaches gradually into the soil to benefit the fruit trees.

Last year I planted some aromatics and bee-attracting plants; lemon balm, lemon catnip, feverfew, anise hyssop, bee balm, and some comfrey and daffodils. In the berm (raised edge) of the swale I planted yarrow.

This year, I’ve added two shrubs; a highbush cranberry, and a red twig dogwood. These, along with the aromatics are intended to encourage birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects. Biodiversity is a concept of permaculture that is largely unknown in commercial orchards.

A new Red Twig Dogwood shrub

The shrubs create a new canopy layer. Canopy layers are a permaculture idea about mimicking the different heights of plants in the forest. The flowers, the shrubs, and the fruit trees create three distinct layers of vegetation due to the differing heights of the plants. The sixty foot tall oak tree in the center of the orchard is a fourth canopy layer.

The orchard was fitted into an area in the woods, and there are signs that the soil is trying to revert back to forest. Ferns are doing their best to take over, and much of the ground is becoming unworkable after all of my hard work with a grub hoe. It’s a struggle to get the forest to back off. The forest and cultivation appear to be two wildly different habitats.

The comfrey is flowering

To help condition the soil I tossed out sorghum and Canadian field pea seeds, which I had done last year also. This year I also seeded some Dutch white clover, and some going-to-seed dandelions. And planted some clumps of day lilies. I added a few food plants: chives, perennial onions, some asparagus, and some turnip seeds. Which of these will thrive is a guess.

Lime is essential for converting the acidic forest floor into an environment that is sweeter and more friendly to cultivated plants, and has been liberally applied, as well as wheel barrow loads of organic cow manure.

There’s lots going on there. Who would have thought that forest to farm is such a tough proposition? More on this as things progress... -jmm

The Zen of Weeding

I like weeding. I enjoy the time spent.  Am i crazy? Or even a little masochistic? I shove the weeding tool down by the roots, give a little prying action, then grab the weed and pull. It’s a part of the gardening experience.

Weeds are nature’s design to leave no bare spaces. Nature fills in. Voids are taboo. And so the weeds have entered into the spaces. Enter the weeds.

like empty canvas

nature fills the vacant space

so, enter the weeds

Weeding takes focus. All of my attention. It is a sort of meditation. Meditation is about being here, right now. Not thinking of either past or future. I pluck the weed and make sure the roots come out with it.

A healthy patch of weeds

i have great respect

for all nature's weedy gifts

yet, the weeds must go

Weeds are a good sign. They mean we did our job with manuring and getting the compost around. This year they are looking fat and healthy. To the compost pile they go, completing a cycle of growth to waste and waste to growth.

as veggies are picked

spaces in garden return

so enter the weeds

Herman Hesse wrote Siddhartha, a book about spiritual seeking and enlightenment. Sidhartha had his most enlightened time as a ferryman on the river. He had left the spiritual orders and religious teachers to spend his days listening to the river and ferrying people. He had stopped seeking answers. He felt no need to seek, just to be.

the garden thrives

with great bounty to sustain

without weeds for now

Weeding Is just weeding. There is no past and no future. There is the garden, the weeds and me. Pulling weeds by hand is not a chore and not something to avoid. It is my meditation. I don't need to think about anything. Just pluck ‘em out. The zen of weeding. -G.H.

Kale

At our local Hannaford supermarket one day, I happened to overhear the following interchange:

“I'm doing a lot more with kale these days”.

“Really? Kale?”

“Yeah, we love it. We're going to try growing it”.

“Oh?”

“It's really good, you should try it!”

It’s the second voice in this conversation, the questioning one that we are most familiar with in regards to kale. Although it is a staple vegetable for us, it is still not well known. Another familiar comment is: “My husband (or kids/sister/boyfriend/etc) won’t eat any of the strong vegetables”. Strange for us to hear, because kale eaten at the right time of year is not a strong flavor at all, but is actually sweet.

Last year's kale ready to go to seed

We unequivocally love kale, and for many reasons. It’s simple to grow, can be harvested almost year round, stores on the stalk, reseeds itself, and has nearly endless cooking options.

Besides all of its other qualities, kale is one of the most beautiful of the veggie garden plants. There are three basic varieties, and we grow two of them. One is a plant that covers itself in fat, frilly blue-green leaves. The other has purple veined flat leaves shaped somewhat like large oak leaves with slightly frilled edges.

Kale is a brassica, a plant family that includes cabbage, broccoli, and collards. The brassicas are said to provide antioxidants which are wonderful for your health. In doing a little research, I found a website that elaborates on the health benefits of kale including that it may be a cancer preventative; "Kale is an especially rich source of glucosinolates, and once kale is eaten and digested, these glucosinolates can be converted by the body into cancer preventive compounds." The site is here: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=38&tname=foodspice

Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower are crops we sometimes grow, but they are grown for one harvest and then the plant stems are pulled and composted. Kale, on the other hand is used by harvesting only a handful of leaves at a time. It is very hardy and lasts through the winter. We have dug through three feet of snow to grab a handful of kale. No storage needed!

Although it can be picked and eaten at any time, kale has a lovely sweet flavor after a hard frost. This is when it is at its best. It is such a delicacy that we typically ignore it throughout the growing season and then feast on it as far into winter as it lasts.

By spring, the main stems of the plants have been picked at until they are nearly leafless. Some of the rugged looking stalks begin to sprout new leaves, while others have died out and are then pulled up for compost.

Now, in May before most of the garden is planted, the over-wintered stems have leafed out and the new leaves can be picked and eaten. Seed heads are forming, and this is yet another benefit of this plant. As a biennial it goes to seed in its second year. The seeds fall to the ground and new plants start up. If it weren’t for slugs who love baby kale, we might be overrun with it.

Simple to grow, seeds itself, overwinters, sweetens when chilled, and pops back up in spring. What could be better? If only the rest of the garden were so easy...! -jmm

Kale Slaw

The easiest ways to serve kale are to steam it, or to tear the leaves into little bits and add them to a green salad. Kale can also be added to just about anything you are cooking: potato salad, stews, soups, stir fries, mashed potatoes, etcetera. Here is an especially tasty way to prepare it using Gil’s special Ginger Dressing.

Combine in a large bowl:

2 cups kale, ribs removed, sliced thin crosswise & cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup red mustard leaves, sliced thin crosswise & cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup chives, cut into 1" lengths

1 med carrot, coarsely grated

1/2 cup raisins

Ginger Dressing

4 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp brown rice vinegar

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 tsp honey

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup organic mayonnaise

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Heat the sesame oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Turn down to medium low, then add the grated ginger. Saute until the flavors absorb (4-5  minutes). Remove from heat. Add vinegar, honey, lime juice and pepper. Stir until blended. Place the mayonnaise into a bowl, then stir in the blended mixture. Add about 1/4 cup of the dressing to the kale mixture and mix well. Add more as needed to taste. -G.H.  

Gil's Fabulous Beer Garden Chili

It's mid-May and peas are sprouting. The first harvest of lettuce and arugula are already used up. Mache and claytonia have gone into our salads since March. The second planting of greens is up and the new batch is being thinned for baby mesclun salads. Spinach, swiss chard, and red mustard have gotten big enough to start using them. Chives, perennial onions, and ramps have been in use for some time now.

And, we still have things left from last year. Green beans, collards, beet greens and cabbage are still in the freezer. Four dried Habanero peppers are all thats left of a long string of them over the kitchen window. There are a couple of jars of plum chutney and homemade ketchup left.

And so I decided to make chili.

Feel free to substitute as indicated in parentheses. Instead of green beans and collards, other veggies may be used. Add kidney beans or serve on pasta if desired. Serve with a big salad of fresh greens.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup chopped perennial onion (or one large onion)

1 tbsp beef tallow

4 ramps, chopped (or four cloves of garlic)

1 Habanero pepper * diced (or Jalapeno, which is not as hot)

12 oz micro brewed dark beer

1 cup green beans, frozen or fresh

1 cup collard greens, frozen or fresh

1 6 oz can tomato paste

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

In a cast iron skillet, heat the tallow on medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft, another 5 minutes. Add the ramps or garlic and cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beer and bring to a boil. Add the green beans and greens. Bring back to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium low. Add the tomato paste, Habanero, salt & pepper. Lower heat to just high enough to keep the chili simmering. Cook for an hour or so. To serve, ladle into shallow bowls and top with grated sharp cheddar cheese. G.H.

* The heat of the pepper is in the ribs and seeds. Habeneros are among the hottest of peppers. You may want to use only half the ribs and seeds if you don’t want it "muy caliente" (very hot).

Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads are a sign of spring here in Maine. Although they are often foraged in the wild, we can also find them at the supermarket. Unlike other vegetables, however, they are only available at this time of year. They are a local phenomenon, and we love the local-ness and the fresh, sign-of-spring flavor. An annual delicacy.

Ostrich fern in the shade of a Striped Maple

Fiddleheads are the as yet unfurled fronds of the ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris. They are found in the woods and typically along rivers and streams. It takes a small amount of knowledge to identify them. It's important to know exactly what to look for, and then one hopes to find enough for a dinner. There are many kinds of ferns, but among them, only the ostrich fern is considered edible.

In scouting for them early in spring, look for a brown colored bump on the ground. These are really hard to spot because they blend in. As the fern grows you will see a green, hairless stem with a furled top of delicate-looking frilly little leaves. The ferns' stem is hollowed on the underside. Other types of ferns may have stems that are covered with a fuzzy white substance, or are red, or are hairy looking, or are rounded without being hollowed. There is a facebook page for fiddleheads, click here. 

The nice thing about this fern is that you can grow them. Here, we have two patches started. The ostrich fern prefers a shady spot and moist soil although one of our patches is in full sun and soil that dries out. The other patch is next to the trunk of a striped maple tree, and the ground is not especially moist there either.

These patches were started a couple years ago and we are still waiting to be able to pick some. This may take several years. A patch spreads as ferns send out runners with a new fern starting from the end of each of them. Several new ferns pop up each year, and we are waiting for the patches to colonize thickly enough that picking some won't deplete the patch.

We ordered the fern plants from the Fedco tree catalog. Other sources may offer this fern, google search “ostrich fern,” then make sure the scientific name is the same.

Harvest fiddleheads while they are still a tight spiral near to the ground. If the spiral has unfurled, it is too late. To eat them, clean by swishing in several changes of cold water, and remove any brown bits. Steam for about five minutes, then saute in butter and garlic. -jmm