QUICK WEEK'S END POSTS: GARDEN UPDATE, HEIRLOOM SEEDS, HIDDEN PG&E BEAUX-ARTS INTERIOR (and mini SF CHRON rant...)

Reworking the Plot: I finally admitted to myself that some of those older seeds I'd sown just weren't going to germinate--the only way to know was try--and filled in with new arugula, mache, and mizuna seeds. It was a joy working in the garden on the first recent sunny day: the adjoining mini-park was packed with parents watching their kids play, dogs and their owners, young couples, and best of all, a classical violinist playing Grieg sonatas.


Heirloom Possessions: I purchased the new seeds at the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds retail store recently opened in the historic Sonoma Bank Building in downtown Petaluma. A fitting home for an exhaustive heirloom 'seed bank,' and the staff is warm and knowledgeable; I'll definitely be back for summer vegetable seeds once I kit out a seed-starting set-up in the garage.


Hidden Beaux-Arts Interior: PG&E was doing work on a substation I pass on my bike on the way to the garden, and it was a treat to get a glimpse of the hidden, early-20th century Beaux-Arts industrial interior with three-story colonnades supported by classical columns surrounding a central, skylighted atrium for heavy machinery. This is the kind of stuff John King could highlight in the San Francisco Chronicle if he actually knew and walked the city, or had a real curiosity or knowledge about architecture, urban design, communities, context, or precedence.

ORGANIC FARM IRON CHEF, or LIVING (LARGE) OFF THE LAND: GETAWAY PART III

As good as getting to see the farm animals up close was the Full House Farm organic vegetable garden just for guests where we (literally) had the pick of beautiful, cool weather produce.



I'd decided not to bring any food, supplies, or equipment (not even my trusty cast-iron skillet)--or spices, herbs, oils, or vinegars. For those who know me, this was big, especially because we were hoping to eat in quite a bit: but I decided it was a lesson in trust--that the garden would provide, that a 'fully-equipped kitchen' meant just that, and that we could create good meals with whatever we found.


What we found, cooked, and ate was great: broccoli, cauliflower, onions, carrots, and beets for roasting; swiss chard and beet and mustard greens for sauteing; all different types of kale for soup; and arugula, mesclun, mizuna, and other greens for salads topped by broccoli flowers. And plenty of rosemary, thyme, and other herbs.


The great Wild Flour Breads also got turned into croutons for salad and soup, and the freshly-laid eggs (can you tell which ones came from the araucanas?) made great omelets and breakfasts (can you see the color and height of those yolks??). Christine's homemade goat cheese was great on the beets and toast, and we got to sample her homemade goat ice milk and yoghurt too.



It was fun trying a completely vegetarian getaway with such incredible materials at hand. We heartily recommend the Full House Farm experience; we found it on the Weekend Sherpa blog, a favorite resource for Bay Area outdoor adventures.


And to end this trip, some veggie porn (or truly raw food): "Aloha, from Carrot Man!" (May not be suitable for all ages! :-P )

QUICK POSTS: YOGA TOES + THE PLOT THICKENS + 18 PANCHAN!

YOGA TOES: I'm feeling very grateful for yoga this week. We take a regular restorative hatha yoga class, and I am constantly amazed at how such a gentle practice challenges, strengthens, centers, and opens me. It's a great class: people are serious and committed but low-key, and there's no jockeying for a spot and no 'yoga' clothing. One man brings lemons from his tree, and I've brought lemon bars and lemon shortbread made from them to share, and people came to see my "Catching The Sun" show, but the class is too small to be cliquish. And I love our teacher Erin, who really thinks about and explains the poses, how we progress through them, why we are doing them, how they should feel, and how we can ease or extend them. And I really appreciate taking the class with David: as something to share, and also for the place I am for the yoga.

But my feet get cold in class (this is NOT bikram!) and I've seen some special yoga socks--anyone have recommendations???


THE PLOT THICKENS: Week Two at the community garden plot. I know you can barely see the little lettuce and greens sprouts, but I get a certain frisson...from germinating frisée. And one of the fun things about lettuces is how fast they sprout. I'm glad these older seeds are still viable, and I'm very happy with my cage and screen: when I've stopped by the birds have been voraciously partaking of the garden buffet in other plots, and my seeds have been undisturbed by them or our heavy rains (but nicely damp).


18 PANCHAN: I love, love, love Korean food, and one of the ways I judge Korean restaurants is by the quality and generosity of panchan, the little tastes that come with and are incorporated into every meal. Our favorite place in the Bay Area is Ohgane in Oakland, and I just had to share this quick pic of...18 panchan! That's the most I've ever been served anywhere, including there, and every single one--including the scary little fishies--was the tastiest, freshest morsel of goodness!

KEEP TO THE PLOT: ADVENTURES IN COMMUNITY GARDENING

After three years on a waiting list, I finally got a plot in a neighborhood community garden!  The plots in this garden are small, but it's a brand new, raised bed in a nice, small, sunny garden attached to a Mission District mini-park a couple of blocks from me.

The other gardeners I've met are great, and small world that San Francisco is, among them is the father of David's son's brother, his partner, my ex-co-worker's ex-roommate, and a participant in a green planning "salon" that I once moderated.

WEEK ONE:

My plan is to grow vegetables that need more room, sun, warmth, and soil in my garden plot, and keep growing lettuces, greens, and herbs in my kitchen and back porch windowboxes.  

That said, in this cooler weather I decided to do a first crop of lettuces and greens in my new bed, using up half-used packets of seeds, and overseeding because germination may be lower because the seeds are older.

Lettuce and greens seeds are planted very shallow, so I decided to build a cage to protect them from the many birds in the park.  I can keep it on while the seedlings are small, and re-use it for any sowings or small transplants.  I used wire snips to cut and shape the cage from 4-foot width chicken wire.

I also attached some screening to the top of the cage, to diffuse the heavy rain we're expecting, so the seeds wouldn't wash away.  And I can leave it on as a shade cloth for the tender lettuces. 

One of the longtime gardeners clued me in to the snails that like to hide out under the top edges of the beds, so I decided to staple some copper strapping over the outer edges; the theory is that the small electrical charge in the copper deters snails and slugs.  The strapping is much cheaper than the copper tape sold for this purpose.

It felt good to be digging in the dirt again, building things, and planting. Stay tuned as the plot thickens...I'm hoping to document here the growing, harvesting, cooking, and eating of vegetables from the garden.