Sustainability
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Ten books queued on my bedside table for winter reading: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. What I Stand For is What I Stand On: The Collected Essays of Wendell Berry 1969 – 2017. The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World by… Read more
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I didn’t know where bartering labor for local food would lead. In retrospect, it was not about economics, but learning, access to a greenhouse and participating in farm life. This Feb. 1, 2013 email to Susan Jutz, one of the first organic farmers and community supported agriculture farm operators in the state got things going.… Read more
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Republican U.S. presidents don’t like international climate agreements. George W. Bush withdrew the United States from the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty we ratified, and yesterday Donald J. Trump notified the United Nations of our intent to withdraw from the global climate agreement signed in Paris when the mandatory one-year waiting period finishes the day after… Read more
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A hard break from autumn accompanied last week’s snowfall. Outdoors there is garden clean up, raking leaves, and another mowing to be done, however, we’ve turned mostly inside. A main issue has been determining how to get exercise without an active garden and walks along the lake. Yesterday I cleaned and set up the NordicTrack… Read more
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The soybean harvest was disrupted by snowfall. Several inches fell in the last 48 hours. Farmers came to town, including to the home, farm and auto supply store. It will be a wet crop, propane prices are already higher. The main worry is when will farmers be able to get soybeans and corn out of… Read more
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What should we make of Tuesday’s October snowfall? Not much, I guess. It was another day in the neighborhood, where melting snow delayed yard and garden work, and a final mowing with grass clipping collection. It’s unclear whether further mowing will occur. Weather has me turning inward. A technician is schedule to inspect our furnace,… Read more
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After missing last year I planted garlic on Oct. 15. A couple of clear days dried the ground sufficiently to mow the plot, turn it, and put seeds in the ground. I increased the number of rows from two to five which if all goes well will yield plenty of scapes and about 60 head… Read more
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Daylight remained as I drove into the driveway after a shift at the orchard. If the garden appeared scorched by the previous night’s first frost, some tomato plants survived and the kale looked resilient. The weather forecast is a couple of days without rain. I scheduled garlic planting for Tuesday when the ground should be… Read more
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Leaves of deciduous trees are turning to autumn. Despite the changing season there was local lettuce, bell peppers, radishes, kohlrabi and tomatoes to make a fresh salad with last night’s pasta dinner. I made the pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes as well. Red Delicious apples are at peak ripeness. As I picked another bushel under… Read more
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