Quote of the Day: Rachel Carson
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.
– Rachel Carson (The Sense of Wonder)
We’re in the height of summer here in NE Ohio and I’m really enjoying it. The weather is warm, climbing into the mid 80’s on most days. The sun is strong, driving me indoors between noon and four. All these things bring the lush growth of the heat loving plants: peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini.
Fall will come soon though, it seems each year the seasons get shorter – I suppose it’s because I’m getting older. One of the benefits of being a gardener is that you become keenly aware of the distinctness of each season, the good things, the challenging things. I certainly would not want to live anywhere without a variety of seasons!
What are you enjoying about the season you’re in wherever your garden happens to be?
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Quote of the Day: Kristin Kimball
Food is the first wealth. Grow it right, and you feel insanely rich, no matter what you own. A frenchman once told me.
Kristin Kimball from The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love
I’m feeling exceedingly rich today as I stroll through my edible garden looking at all the bounty that will be in my harvest basket this summer. The golden peas are at their end, only a few more remain to harvest, the rest will be left for seed. The tomatoes are hanging heavy on the vines, promising a bounty of tomato soup and BLT’s later this summer. I harvested the potato onions and am happy once again to have homegrown onions in the pantry, they will be joined by a variety of other onions as summer goes along.
It’s very true that growing your own isn’t just about the good food that you provide for yourself, although that is the greatest reward. You truly feel rich knowing that you don’t have to spend money on fresh vegetables. Growing your own food gives you a sense of freedom, a sense of security knowing that you can provide for yourself should it ever be a necessity.
How does growing some of your own food make you feel? secure? happy? rich?
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Quote of the Day: Linda Joan Smith
The growth of the garden follows our lead. To plant and nurture and prune and tie is to bend the garden to our own designs, to shape it to our bidding. It rewards us for our protection and guidance with an extended season of growth and living architecture rooted deep within the earth. We use the tools that nature lends us, and our gardens flourish.
Linda Joan Smith (Smith & Hawken Garden Structures)
When we first moved to Chiot’s Run the gardens were a wasteland from years of neglect and chemical applications. The soil was devoid of life, the only insect life to be seen were slugs and earwigs, no birds could be found flitting about the garden and I didn’t see an earthworm in the dry yellow soil for the first four years. We set about transitioning the gardens to organic by adding chicken manure, chopped leaves, compost and lots of mulch. After nine years of work nurturing the soil the soil is finally teeming with life.
Every time I dig I see an earthworm and other soil life. The soil in many parts of the garden is starting to turn brown and loamy. A wide variety of insects and birds can be seen, each attracted here because of the array plants we have and the sources of food and water we provide. I’m happy to see them all, both good and bad, because I know they all play a vital role in our garden.
It’s really nice to finally start seeing the rewards for our efforts. It took a few years before we noticed much change at all. If you’re in the process of transitioning from chemical to organic be patient. Your efforts will be rewarded greatly as the years go on!
What changes have you noticed in your garden as you’ve been nurturing it?
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Beautiful and Meaningful
How much more pleasant would drying dishes be if you could use a thick, densely stitched hand knit dishcloth? Might you be less likely to let a wastebasket woven of willow branches overflow with trash? Have you ever swept the floor with a handcrafted broom made from real broomcorn? It has tiny spurs that trap and hold dust, whereas plastic bristles rely on static electricity. These are the tools of our everyday lives. If we choose them wisely, our everyday lives will be that much more beautiful and meaningful!
Robyn Griggs Lawrence (The Wabi-Sabi House: The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty)
I would highly recommend reading the book above. You will find yourself thinking about the things that you chose to bring into your home. In our culture it’s often about acquiring more, bigger, better, faster, newer at the expense of quality, handmade and local. Over the past couple years I’ve really been striving to detox my home of the mass-produced low quality items that have no soul. When something needs replaced I try to find it made locally.
While shopping at Local Roots a month ago I noticed a local potter was selling crocks. They were all fairly small, so I contacted one of the potters, Emily from Moorefield Pottery to see if she’s make me a bigger one. I love that she uses clay harvested in the Ohio River Valley. This is a truly local product.
I was super excited to hit the market last week to pick up my crock. Emily did a wonderful job creating the perfect crock to hold my utensils, it is beautiful! Perhaps someday I’ll have her make me a few plates and bowls so we can get rid of our made in China white dinnerware.
It’s so much more meaningful when you can purchase a product made by a local artist or craftsman. I like seeing the artist’s signature scratched into the bottom of the piece instead of a “made in China” sticker – makes me very happy.
I love her little clay birdhouses as well, someday I may have a few of these hanging around the gardens. I really appreciate that there are people who take the time to learn such skills and I will spend my money to support them. Every time I reach for a utensil I’ll be able to appreciate the beauty of this handmade piece of art. Emily does have an Etsy store if you’re interested in checking out a few of her things.
Do you have any handmade items that you really appreciate? Do you know of any great artisans in your area?
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Quote of the Day: Mark Twain
The difference between the almost right word
and the right word is really a large matter.
It’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
– Mark Twain in a letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888
Kind of like snapping a photo at just the right time! I love it when the lightning bugs are out and about. Earlier this week I started to see them in the front yard, too bad they’re spraying for mosquitos in our development next week so that will kill a good number of them.
Do you have lightning bugs in your area?
