Citizen Science Project: Raise Heirloom Beans

Tarbais Beans

By now, everyone has heard about heirloom vegetables, seed banking and the future of life on this planet, right?

So this spring I stumbled across a website - A Bean Collector's Window - and discovered an amazing world of beans, beans and more beans. Better still, for a very nominal price, you could buy these rare, unique and possibly soon-to-be-lost bean varieties that your or somebody else's grandmother grew. Grow them yourself and you can become your own little seedbank - a truly unique item for the resume.

Or even better than better still, you could sign up to grow a variety (or more) for free. And in return, all you have to do just that - return a handful of bean seeds. You get to keep the rest of the crop and eat and grow them again and again and, and, and...

What's the catch? I'm not sure there is one. You get beans, the beans get grown and then preserved for another 4 - 6 years, and the Postal Service gets a little bit of business. Heck, if you choose to grow two or more varieties, you may select an extra packet of beans, also for free.

Luckily for those of us with small yards, beans need very little isolation to maintain seed purity. In my case, I grew our favorite Fortex pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in the front yard along with the tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius). Different species, so no hanky-panky.

Something to consider for next year - the beans, I mean.

Orange Tepary Beans

She's Everywhere: Ranger Betty Reid Soskin

Ranger Betty Soskin

And I highly recommend that you go to see her and hear her story. It's easy, fun, local, inspiring and just a wee bit educational, without any of the "Oh-but-I-hate-social-studies" pain. For a brief preview, click here.

Where: Visitor Educational Center, Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front Park in Richmond, CA.

When: Most Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  Check here for exact times and directions.

Why: Because she's 95 already, and good things don't last forever.

And as long as you are there, you may walk or bike along the waterfront, examine the exhibits at the Visitor Center, or even discuss what you just learned over snacks at either Assemble or Bubbaloo Cafe . Heck, you can even do all those things.

How to (And How NOT to) Make a Trellis: Part I

Bad Idea

Over the past while, I have constructed quite a number of trellises to support big viny plants, such as peas, pole beans, squash, cucumbers and gourds. With advice, trial and error, error, and more error, I now have a system that, although not quite bulletproof, may actually withstand the next earthquake.

First lesson: do not use bamboo stakes if you want the trellis to last longer than part of one season. Not one entire season, just part of one season. No matter how well, deep or meaningfully those stakes are anchored, and regardless of the rebar reinforcement, they will fail. You see, when that first big wolfish wind comes along, (think Three Little Pigs), your growing plants act like a giant sail, and take down the entire ship.

The solution - 1/2" electrical metal conduit (EMT). It is inexpensive, readily available, sturdy and not completely ugly. And a 2' piece of rebar inserted up one leg at each side means additional security.

Second lesson: use three support posts at each end. Now you may remember from eighth grade geometry class that three points define a plane. You may not. But it sure makes for a much more solid and grounded base. And since you are paying less $3 per 10 ft. length of EMT, it's a small splurge.

Hose clamps

The support posts are linked together with a metal hose clamp. The cross piece is then tied in with a separate smaller hose clamp. The only issue I have encountered with hose clamps is that someone has been cheating on their length. So buy the next larger size if you have any doubts about the diameter of the pipes to be tied together.

Third lesson: work with a friend. It's more fun to argue with someone else than just yourself. And once you're done, it's definitely a lot more fun to sit down, have a beer and admire your handiwork with someone else.

Fourth lesson: Tie up your own netting. I start at the top, anchoring the string at the bottom with a a bamboo pole (finally, it has a use!), about 6"- 8" apart. The horizontal rows are also spaced at approximately 6"- 8" wide.

It takes less than an hour to string up an 8' x 10' mesh, lasts for one year (a winter season of peas and a summer season of cukes and pole beans), and if using cotton string, can be tossed in the compost bin along with the green waste.

The Completed Trellis w/o the Netting

Epilogue: After the first summer of Fortex pole beans, two more posts were added to the middle of the 10' expanse for additional support. I would never have guessed that the bean vines could be so heavy as to cause that much sag...

Total cost for the trellis: under $40.00

Botanical Wonders Made Easy

I had never heard about the American Horticultural Society (AHS), but when it came to my attention, I quickly signed up.

An AHS membership entitles one (or more, depending on the level of membership) to free entry to an amazing number of botanical gardens, arboretums, public and private(ish) gardens throughout the country. In the west, the variety of gardens is astonishing, as is the dedication of the staff and volunteers who keep these organizations and their collections alive.

Over the past months, I've been burning up that membership card. Often I've dragged along some poor soul who I hope has a slight interest in the botanical. So far, no one has complained, or at least not loudly. But I know better than to press my luck and ask if they want to go birdwatching too.

Day of the Dead
Desert Botanical Garden
Phoenix, AZ

Freebies from Annie's

Freckles (?) Pineapple Lily

Annie's Annuals allows those with a small bit of oomph and entrepreneurship to collect free, high-quality potting mix. Yes, free, except that you have to shovel it yourself (and unlike horse manure, this stuff is heavy) and you can only get to it on Wednesday mornings.

First come-first serve. And plan ahead - like late winter or so - if you don't want to be disappointed. 'Cause once the gardening season heats up, so does the competition. On a nice clear day in January, however, it's just you and the pile.

And a few plant labels, an occasional plastic pot, old root balls, and once in a while, a surprise (think Cracker Jack®, which apparently still exists after 120 years).

The last time I went shoveling, the mix included a mystery bulb. I threw it in the green bin and then felt badly. So I fished it out, tucked it in a pot and ignored it.

Pineapple lily. Definitely a pineapple lily, although, based on the photos, not one of those that Annie's grows. A wandering pineapple lily? If so, it now has a home in Oakland.

Discover & Go Wins Again

It was a dark and stormy night. Actually, it was a sullen and overcast day, so to inject a little cheer, we went to the Academy of Sciences. And because we planned ahead (by one day only), we went for free. There we were graced with the company of two young friends - Aly and Avery - who also got in for free. Thank you Discover & Go - Oakland.

We sweated through the rain forest, lurked in the aquarium (I had never seen the boa constrictor before and have no plans to see this or any other one again), caught the tail end of the penguin feeding, and then moved on to the planetarium for the show, Habitat Earth (don't bother, it was kinda slow and preachy).

Great entertainment for a gray day.

IkeaHacker Kitchen Counter

So last winter when we were moving the painting studio back home, I came up with this idea for adding more counter space in the old studio's kitchen.

I thought it was a pretty good idea and so did IkeaHackers, which shares many interesting ways to repurpose Ikea products. 

Read on: Small Kitchen Counter and Storage 

A Holiday Shopping Idea

Yup, just one. "Cause these days, I pretty much only remember one thing at a time. Really, it's one thing, period, and forget the "at a time" part. So what was I going to tell you, anyway?

Lava-lava Painter

One of my most favorite places to "shop" is the Kiva website. Kiva is a micro-lending program which connects people with money (you and me) to entrepreneurs from around the globe who need a little support to move ahead. Yes, sometimes the words "poverty" and "empowerment" are thrown around, but really, it's all about shopping.

Here's how it works: you commit to a minimum loan of $25 (remember, it is a loan, not a donation. So unless disaster strikes, it is your money and you can get it back once the loan has been repaid. Or if you are giving this as a gift, the happy recipient can get it back.)

Next you go scroll through all of the proposals from interesting people in far-away places and consider which one(s) you plan to support. Shall I invest in a lava-lava (think "sarong") painter in Samoa who needs new brushes and paints? A rice farmer in the Philippines who requires additional organic fertilizer? Or what about that knitter in Bolivia who needs extra materials to make ponchos?

Poncho Maker

As I mentioned, once the loan is paid back, you may pull out your cash. Better still is to go back to Kiva for another fun shopping experience. We started with Kiva in 2007 with a $100 commitment. Since then, we have participated in 45 loans for a total amount of $1,150 lent out. We've never lost a dime on a bad loan (yeah, I know, there's still time) and only one was slow in repaying.

So you guessed it, I went with the poncho maker. Partly because the loan term was shorter (shorter term = help someone else with a loan more quickly). Also because anyone who washes sand to earn extra cash probably has the gumption to make her business a success. And really, who could resist that hat...

Sources:
Kiva.org

For a fun read about a Kiva lender:
The International Bank of Bob

Photos: Screenshot from Kiva website (bad, bad girl - didn't get around to asking permission, yet)

Calendula Heals All, or At Least a Few Things

Resina Calendulas

The local, as in very local, pharmacy has been playing around with remedies for the type of super-dry skin that comes from playing in the dirt. Happily, the experiments have led to success. Success, by the way, which didn't require a lot of work or money.

Neal's Yard Remedies used to have this wonderful Elderflower Hand Softener which turned my lobster claws into tender baby toes overnight. But like so many other great products, it's no longer available.

I don't have space for an elderberry shrub, but I can easily grow calendulas. They are pretty, colorful, help keep the bad bugs away and make the bees happy, too. Historically, calendula flowers have been used to ease an impressive line-up of complaints. These days, its healing powers seem to be limited to external uses - even the medical profession gives calendula credit for skin healing properties.

I looked at various recipes for calendula creams, lotions, tinctures and finally settled on this one from NZ Eco Chick.* Except I'm really lousy at following instructions, so I do a few things differently:

• Use fresh calendula flowers. Pick the flowers during the day and let them dry out overnight. That way, the oil is less likely to become rancid. 
• Do not bother with that muslin cloth idea. Just pour the oil through a sieve and press down on the flowers with the back of a spoon. Way less mess.

And it was a nice thing to be able to re-use that old Neal's Yard jar.















* Around here, organic virgin coconut oil may be found at Trader Joe's.

The Best Cheap Cat Toys #2: Underwear

If the designated laundry folder at your house is as conscientious as the one here, he will keep folding those creaky old pairs of underwear without noticing just how unsuitable they are for wearing. So when you have underpants that really needs to be consigned to the Rag Bag (or the garbage can):

Turn the elastic at the top into a favorite cat toy.

Cut out the top elastic. Use the bottom portion to wash the car, re-stain an old piece of furniture, or simply throw that heroic article away.

Take that circular piece of elastic and cut through it to make one long piece.

So much the better if you have two dead pairs. That way the two pieces of elastic can be knotted together to form a longer cord: much less strain on your back at playtime.

You can stop at this point and have a great toy, or,

for even more enjoyment, dig out an old sock (purple or otherwise) and pin it to one end of the elastic cord.

(The optional black streamers on the end are narrow strips cut from an old sweatshirt. Cats get bored with toys, but a few small imaginative changes can bring back that old excitement.)

This toy is great for kittens because they can't swallow it, the way they can with string, yarn, rubber bands and all those other cute and dangerous play items.

Throw it in the washing machine when it gets grungy. It will last for years and years of safe fun.

Just ask Princess!

Volunteers of Oakland #3

Gosh, I wish I'd heard about this sooner. I could have lived with so much less garden-guilt. All those little plantlets and no place to put them, so off to the composter they went. Yeah, yeah, I understand that they certainly are useful as compost, but they still had to die.

But now, all those extra plants, bulbs, seedlings, vegetable starts and all that other green stuff can be given a new chance at life at The Plant Exchange on Saturday, March 29th at the First Presbyterian Church in (guess where?) Oakland!

Very briefly, it works like this: you bring your items to donate (click here for a list of what they accept), and then go "shop" (dangerous, ve-e-ery dangerous) among all the other plants and items donated by other generous gardeners. And the lovely people at The Plant Exchange even help you unload your donations and reload your car with your new acquisitions.

For the complete read-remember-and-follow instructions, click here.

I wish that I could say that I will see you there, but I can't make it this time. Even so, I'm dropping my donations off early - they accept them anytime after noon on March 15th at 2619 Broadway (along 27th Ave, near the handicapped parking spaces) - and marking my calendar for their next event in October.

Bottom Rot

2012 San Marzanos.  No Bottom Rot That Year.

Technically, it's not called bottom rot but "blossom end rot (BER)," but we sometimes are a bit more blunt - crude, even - around here.

But so what is it, anyway? A disorder of tomatoes and peppers, featuring lesions at the blossom end (dah!) of the fruit which all too often expand, turn funky and black, and ruin the fruit for eating. Ick. Sometimes you can salvage part of the tomato, but usually it's only use is for target practice in the green bin. Sadly, it seems to occur most frequently on paste-type tomatoes, such as our family favorite, San Marzano.

What to do? Well, BER is generally associated with a calcium deficiency in the plant and/or soil. And lots of expert-type people have all sorts of remedies. I also have one:

Save your empty egg shells, allow them to dry out for a few days, or weeks even, it doesn't seem to matter. Then crunch them up into little pieces* and mix a small amount of these crushed shells in the dirt at the bottom of the planting holes for your tomatoes.

If you do a web check, you will discover that many people have proposed this same idea, but they will also instruct you do crazy things like store the eggshells on top of the refrigerator (do they have a magic refrigerator? Mine only seems to collects dust). Or grind them up in the blender (just what you want… more dishes to wash).

Why mention this now? Because March is the time to start thinking about sowing your tomato seeds for this year's bountiful harvest (all fingers crossed). And adding a smidgen of those crushed eggshells to the potting mix certainly can't hurt.

OK, OK, so why grow tomatoes from seed? Because you need one more project to worry about.

No, really because it's the only way that I know which pretty much guarantees that the variety of tomato I want to grow will be available. Most nurseries only stock a few types, which may or may not be suited to your garden and/or your taste buds. Also, you are less likely to import diseases, such as late blight which decimated the tomato crops in 2009 and 2012.

*I first start with my fingers (easy to wash) and simply pinch and crush the shells. To reduce them further, stick them in a plastic bag, loosely tie or knot the bag shut and run your rolling pin over it a few times. Nothing to clean up. Does not collect dust.

A Good Use of Fame and Fortune?

Collect art. Own a large tract of land in the Napa Valley, use it, live on it, grow stuff on it, even plant your art collection all over it. Then turn it into a museum. With your name on it: di Rosa. Strange, though. It seems that it used to be known as the "di Rosa Preserve." I guess those two extra syllables just didn't measure up.

At any rate, the di Rosas did a damn fine job. I can't say that I appreciated all of the objects in the collection, but I did enjoy the experience.

To visit the preserve you will need to sign up for a tour. But no worries, our tour group had a total of three people and a knowledgeable, albeit a bit chatty, guide.

di Rosa participates in the Discover and Go programs of both the Oakland and the Berkeley public libraries, so reserve your tickets that way and save a chunk of dough.

Then you can spend it all on a fancy lunch after the tour...

Updates: #3

The Discover and Go program, available through the Oakland Public Library and other local libraries, still works for me.  Free entry into the Aquarium by the Bay, the Academy of Sciences and the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, for example, really saved this month's budget.

At the Aquarium, the coolest items included the jellyfish tanks and the octopus. I had heard that the Aquarium was kinda rinky-dink, but it was far more interesting than I was expecting. (Maybe the free entry helped.)

So why were we aware of entrance fees? Well, aside from the fact that some of them are pretty high (I know, the costs of blah, blah, blah justify...) we had a young visitor, our nephew Ian, who wanted to see everything.

And although the weather was foggy and cool, the Bay Bridge out of commission and the fireworks show canceled, we persevered. Heck, we even went to Tahoe, suspecting that it might be a little smoky from the Rim Fire, but never ever imaging that it would be sooooo bad. No hiking for us.

Princess came out of hiding once Ian left. She has never been keen about visitors, hates it when the doorbell rings but somehow always seems to know the precise moment when those evil strangers are gone.

Whew! Still with me? Well then, Kevin is doing just great, and planning on going back to work asap (yeah, he likes to keep busy).

And if you need some retail therapy now that the back-to-school madness is over, Kathy Kenny and a few friends - Las Tres Amigas - are putting on a trunk show this upcoming weekend.

Oh yeah, and did I mention the tomatoes? Finally, finally, finally, something is happening out back. And this year, they are pretty tasty. We switched from Stupice to Glacier, and they really were glacial in ripening - ninety days? C'mon. But I'll try them again next year, no prob. 'cause they taste so good.

Lastly, it was a great party at Velvet da Vinci in celebration of the marriage of Tom and Mike! Yessir, it was a fun time, and it was had by all. Congratulations and Best Wishes!

Jellyfish photo courtesy of Ian Cullings

The Poop Sisters

Susan and friend

My friend Susan and I have become regular visitors to Skyline Ranch.  I call it the "poop store" which may be why Susan's husband, Matt, calls us the "Poop Sisters."

Equipped with gloves, shovels, large bags and buckets, we drive (slowly and respectfully, of course) through the complex to a lean-to shed around back and load up. Horse manure and straw. Usually very well composted.  One time it was so hot we thought that the plastic bags might melt and the car blow up. (The obituary would have been a hoot.) And, since it is well composted, it's easy to shovel - almost fluffy, even. And entirely free.

I'm using it to help improve and condition the dense, impenetrable clay muck that is called "soil" at my house. I know it won't be a great all-around fertilizer, but it does seem to aid in breaking up those giant clods. (Gardens Alive! has a helpful overview on using various manures in the garden.)

So if your garden needs a little help from some large furry friends, go visit Skyline Ranch. No need to call first. Just drive slowly. And keep the windows open on the way home.

The Best Cheap Cat Toys: #1: Egg Cartons

At three months

Cardboard Egg Cartons. Absolutely have to be cardboard, 

or chewing them is really unpleasant. Or so I've heard.

Simply throw them in the recycling bin after too much fun.

The entertainment lasts for years.

At three years

Updates: #2

In the thangka room

Some people have all the luck. Our Brazilian friends Marilia and Marco get to hang out at the lovely Ratna Ling Retreat Center. Yeah, yeah, they are on a work-study assignment so they do have to put in some time on the job, but when we went to visit them, it just seemed completely restful and idyllic.

Fun, but hardly idyllic, was the afternoon I spent in the AFSC basement, helping afghans for Afghans prepare those lovely handmade items for shipping to Afghanistan. For a laugh, I even modeled a few of the garments (while disguised behind a borrowed pair of pink glasses). The scarf is mine, though. Thank you Michele!

Annelise practicing the hula
at the Discovery Museum

Once again, we "discovered and went". This time our library cards took us and some favorite friends to the Bay Area Discovery Museum (all for free).

Be aware that a few institutions which were participating in the Discover and Go program in Oakland and Berkeley are no longer on the list - most notably the Academy of Sciences. Nonetheless, there still are loads of wonderful places to visit (for free!).


Two members of Pauline Autet's fun little ceramic project have a new home. On my front porch. They also got a small redesign, and a stronger hanging system, but can go back to their original forms any time. And if someone tries to take them, I too hope that s/he leaves a note. (And an address, so that I can hunt 'em down...)

Peas and carrots. Carrots and peas. Yes, lucky us, we have peas once again. We had carrots, but they were early, and the peas are late, so they never got properly introduced. I am (slowly, very slowly) learning that carrots are probably not the wisest thing to grow in a tiny urban backyard. But I find them to be the absolutely most fun vegetable to harvest. Just that perfect measure of resistance against your steady tug. And if you grew up, as I did, with The Carrot Seed record, then you may just understand.