This just in - if you are going to be in Seattle this coming Saturday afternoon 4/18 check out 5 Days in July at the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival.
The 2PM screening will be at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center - 104 17th Avenue South
Love to get your feedback
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Welcome Springtime!
Spring is definitely here! In California, our spring comes earlier than most. The first blossoms popped up in late February. By now the blossoms have moved on and fruit is already beginning to form. How crazy it is to think in just a few weeks we will have cherries!
Besides the bloom, another
sign that it is Spring is the Wednesday farmers market. We are now back to doing two market days a week. Wednesdays are more relaxed with slower business but a nice ambiance. Lots of families and students come and have dinner and listen to live music in the park. Though I love working the Good Humus stand, on occasion it’s hard not to get jealous of those out on the green.
The ironic thing about this time year for farmers is that while most things are bursting with growth and vibrance, crops overall are in a low period. This is an in-between-season stage - the winter crops are beginning to bolt and the spring crops are not quite ready. Fruit, especially, is limited as citrus is winding down and summer sweets are still a ways off. Luckily, Annie has mastered the art of growing flowers and bouquet making which help carries them through this short lull.
I just have to say that Annie’s flowers really are amazing- or rather Annie is really amazing. Speaking of Annie’s flowers, this brings me to my next topic: my visit out to the farm!
Today was special- I got to go out the farm (and see where the flowers come from!). This is something I don’t ever do mostly because I don’t have a car and my schedule is hectic. Being the beginning of the quarter and having found friends with cars, I was able to get out there today. Annie was hosting a digging party to invite people to come out and help her in her garden. I came with one of my friends Margaret Loyd, also a student at UC Davis. Also there were
Kendall, who also helps at market, and her daughter Anna. Together we worked and in about 2 hours had turned a good sizebed of soil. Annie said these beds hadn’t been turned in over 15 years; it was clearly time for a makeover.
We followed the dig with the famous Main Sunday breakfast (at about 1:00). Annie made waffles and hashbrowns and Jeff squeezed fresh orange juice. We topped it off with an assortment of fruit from the market- kiwis, apples, Asian pears, and strawberries- and Annie’s array of homemade syrups- pomegranate, apple, and elderberry (there is no way you can choose just one!). We even had coffee with raw milk from their friends up the road at Full Belly Farm. What a farm feast!
With our bellies full and happy, Annie gave us a tour of their new house under construction. I was truly in awe at the work they had done. Though for them this has been a long and tedious project, I couldn’t get over the fact that they were doing it themselves with just the help of a few friends. My favorite part about the house was how Annie had named all the bedrooms according to the trees that she had planted for each child.
We ended the visit by gathering plants to take home that Annie no longer wanted. I dug out a big heap of oregano and a bunch of irises that I later put in my own garden. It was amazing to see the variety of plants growing and hearing the stories behind each one. As we were there digging and exchanging ideas about plants and gardens, it got me thinking that this is how learning and the passing of knowledge and resources are supposed to happen. In many ways, this is what Jeff and Annie are trying to do with their farm preservation project. Not only are they working to preserve t
he land for farming use but also the cultural practices and knowledge that the land embodies. So, in the end I was leaving with way more than just an armful of herbs- I left with a greater appreciation and yearning for community sharing in connection to the land.
I’ve decided to make a new commitment to coming out to the farm more regularly. I’m not quite sure how I will get there or how it will fit into my schedule, but I need to do it. (For starters, I just found out that there is bus that goes up the valley- I’ll be sure to let you know how that goes.) Until then, I’ll be thinking of what plant I can share with Annie- if there is one... maybe I should just stick to sharing my muscle power.
Be sure to enjoy the Spring wherever you are and with whomever you can!
Besides the bloom, another
sign that it is Spring is the Wednesday farmers market. We are now back to doing two market days a week. Wednesdays are more relaxed with slower business but a nice ambiance. Lots of families and students come and have dinner and listen to live music in the park. Though I love working the Good Humus stand, on occasion it’s hard not to get jealous of those out on the green.The ironic thing about this time year for farmers is that while most things are bursting with growth and vibrance, crops overall are in a low period. This is an in-between-season stage - the winter crops are beginning to bolt and the spring crops are not quite ready. Fruit, especially, is limited as citrus is winding down and summer sweets are still a ways off. Luckily, Annie has mastered the art of growing flowers and bouquet making which help carries them through this short lull.
I just have to say that Annie’s flowers really are amazing- or rather Annie is really amazing. Speaking of Annie’s flowers, this brings me to my next topic: my visit out to the farm!
Today was special- I got to go out the farm (and see where the flowers come from!). This is something I don’t ever do mostly because I don’t have a car and my schedule is hectic. Being the beginning of the quarter and having found friends with cars, I was able to get out there today. Annie was hosting a digging party to invite people to come out and help her in her garden. I came with one of my friends Margaret Loyd, also a student at UC Davis. Also there were
Kendall, who also helps at market, and her daughter Anna. Together we worked and in about 2 hours had turned a good sizebed of soil. Annie said these beds hadn’t been turned in over 15 years; it was clearly time for a makeover.We followed the dig with the famous Main Sunday breakfast (at about 1:00). Annie made waffles and hashbrowns and Jeff squeezed fresh orange juice. We topped it off with an assortment of fruit from the market- kiwis, apples, Asian pears, and strawberries- and Annie’s array of homemade syrups- pomegranate, apple, and elderberry (there is no way you can choose just one!). We even had coffee with raw milk from their friends up the road at Full Belly Farm. What a farm feast!
With our bellies full and happy, Annie gave us a tour of their new house under construction. I was truly in awe at the work they had done. Though for them this has been a long and tedious project, I couldn’t get over the fact that they were doing it themselves with just the help of a few friends. My favorite part about the house was how Annie had named all the bedrooms according to the trees that she had planted for each child.
We ended the visit by gathering plants to take home that Annie no longer wanted. I dug out a big heap of oregano and a bunch of irises that I later put in my own garden. It was amazing to see the variety of plants growing and hearing the stories behind each one. As we were there digging and exchanging ideas about plants and gardens, it got me thinking that this is how learning and the passing of knowledge and resources are supposed to happen. In many ways, this is what Jeff and Annie are trying to do with their farm preservation project. Not only are they working to preserve t
he land for farming use but also the cultural practices and knowledge that the land embodies. So, in the end I was leaving with way more than just an armful of herbs- I left with a greater appreciation and yearning for community sharing in connection to the land.I’ve decided to make a new commitment to coming out to the farm more regularly. I’m not quite sure how I will get there or how it will fit into my schedule, but I need to do it. (For starters, I just found out that there is bus that goes up the valley- I’ll be sure to let you know how that goes.) Until then, I’ll be thinking of what plant I can share with Annie- if there is one... maybe I should just stick to sharing my muscle power.
Be sure to enjoy the Spring wherever you are and with whomever you can!
The Rural Studio screening at Ecoweek 2009 in Athens, Greece
We are pleased to report The Rural Studio is in good company joining the documentaries The 11th Hour and An Inconvenient Truth as part of Ecoweek 2009's film screening series.
Ecoweek 2009 is an international conference for young architects and landscape architects and students of Architecture and Landscape Design.
"Because...habits change...climate change"
Ecoweek 2009 is an international conference for young architects and landscape architects and students of Architecture and Landscape Design.
What's Ecoweek? Founded in 2005 it is an international non-profit non-governmental environmental agency whose mission is to raise awareness, inform and involve people in making choices and adapting habits that protect the environment.
"Because...habits change...climate change"
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