Archive for the 'Gardening' Category
Pick Your Own Berries
Memorial Day weekend some of my clients were kind enough to bring me a quart of freshly picked strawberries. It was a really thoughtful act. And the strawberries were delicious. We talked about our favorite places to pick strawberries in the area.
In previous years I had always gone to Rose’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury. I’d stick to the Hebron Avenue field because it was closest on my trip over from Hartford. These folks were raving about Carini’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury. I had been to the Carini’s farm stand on Chestnut Hill Road before, but never ventured into their fields to do any picking.
Until this afternoon. Kyle refused to go with me, as he always does, claiming that the strawberries are so far for him. He’s 6’3″ and says he has bad knees. I think it’s just a lame excuse to get out of manual labor. Our daughter is too small this year, so I was on my own. Next year she’ll be my helper.
The weather was perfect for picking. Sunny, but cool with a breeze. I spent about an hour in the fields with the retired folks that apparently have a flexible schedule like me. The berries were still plentiful and I appreciated that Carini’s lets you roam around and pick within several rows, rather than confining you to just one. I ended up picking 11 pounds of berries for a grand total of $22. Not bad. Just make sure you have cash, as they don’t take credit cards.
As I was leaving I admired the blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry bushes that were filled with unripened berries. Looks like I’ll have to make a few more trips back here later in the season. If you’re looking to pick strawberries, you might want to get on it in the next week before the season passes, it was a little early this year.
Our 2010 Vegetable Experiment
Kyle and I try to be do-it-yourselfers where we can. Lawn care, painting, small carpentry projects. You know, easy stuff that our schedule allows us to do and ones where if we screwed up we wouldn’t electrocute ourselves or flood the house.
We’re getting into the warmer weather now, so it should be time for us to start planning and planting our vegetable garden. Maybe you followed our Tomato Experiment last year. It was the fifth year of lukewarm results. Disappointing to say the least. This year we needed a better solution.
Back in February someone mentioned to me that they were going to be signing up for their CSA share again and asked if I was interested. What’s a CSA, you ask? Community Supported Agriculture. Essentially it’s a farm where local residents “join” and their membership fees help to cover the cost of running the farm. In return, members receive a weekly distribution of fresh produce grown without the use of toxic chemicals.
I had heard good things about the Holcomb Farm CSA in West Granby before, but never really thought about joining. We had been trying to grow our own vegetables and if I wanted something specific I could just go to the West End Farmers Market right around the corner from where I lived. But after thinking more about our cruddy results in the last 5 years, this year we decided to take the leap.
Kyle and I signed up for a full CSA share with Grow Hartford, which is a project within the Hartford Food System. Grow Hartford promotes a sustainable and equitable food system in Hartford by cultivating youth leadership and civic participation through agriculture. They operate three sites in Hartford’s inner city that serve as outdoor classrooms for hundreds of Hartford young people and families. Sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it?
On Friday we received an update email letting us know that we’ll be picking up our vegetables on a weekly basis at their Laurel Street garden, which is just a mile and a half from our house, starting in mid-July. They’re growing garlic, beets, red cabbage, fava beans, onions, cauliflower, potatoes sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers, tomatillos, chard, basil flowers, all sorts of heirloom tomatoes and more.
Can I just tell you that I’m extremely excited about this? I believe we’re helping a good cause, we’re getting a variety of fresh, organic vegetables throughout the summer, and it’s close to our home. Yay! My primary concern is going to be figuring out how exactly to prepare and consume the massive amounts of vegetables that we’ll be getting on a weekly basis. But we already have some friends lining up to take the extras off our hands when we need help. Phew!
Stay tuned in the upcoming months for updates on our CSA adventure. I can’t wait!
Growing Fish
Here’s an interesting article about a company in Milwaukee that has set up an indoor farm to grow fish and vegetables organically and sustainably. Sweet Water Organics has put together an aquaculture system that recirculates water between the fish and veggies, with each providing nutrients for the others. They are currently raising perch, tilapia, lettuce, basil, watercress, tomatoes, peppers, chard, and spinach. The system has been built in a formerly vacant factory.
We’d love to get one of these in some of our vacant factory space … another business leasing space, more jobs, and fresh food. The building in the picture isn’t ready for prime time, but there are large spaces in Hartford that are much further along in the rehab process that would make excellent locations. Surely there is some space in the Colt complex that could be adapted quickly and easily.
Knox Parks' Annual Fundraising Plant Sale
As the weather gets warmer, many of us spend time puttering in the yard. Whether it’s mowing and edging, planting and mulching, or just directing others to do those things- a pretty yard makes everyone that can see it a little bit happier.
This upcoming Friday and Saturday you have a great opportunity to get some wonderful plants- annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, and hanging baskets- all while helping out a good cause.
The Knox Parks Foundation is holding their annual plant sale fundraiser at their greenhouse space in Hartford. Stop by at this location during the following times…
75 Laurel Street
Hartford, CT 06106
Friday May 21 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday May 22 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Funds raised from the plant sale benefit The Knox Parks Green Crew, an award winning youth development program. Hope to see you there. Happy planting!
This Old House Magazine
The magazine version of This Old House arrived in the mail yesterday. It was a very good day.
There are only 2 magazines that I immediately sit down and read cover-to-cover, and this is one of them (the other is Wired). It is a perfect mix of interesting stories, tasteful design ideas, and moderate skill project suggestions. Each issue is full of useful tips and addresses issues that relate to me, since we actually live in an old house.
This month I learned that…
1. We can grow purple shamrocks (four-leaf clovers) in our yard since they require indirect light. We’ve struggled to grow something other than hostas in the part of our yard shaded by the ginormous maple trees, so this might be a way to add some color and interest to the area.
2. After looking at pictures of kitchens both in the ads and in the articles, I’m more comfortable that darker knobs will look good on our white cabinets. Although Amy found some interesting crystal knobs yesterday afternoon, so it may be a moot point.
3. The article about “the best place to buy an old house” really shows how interesting and diverse residential architecture was throughout the country 100 years ago. One of our clients actually commented on this yesterday after we showed him a very unique brick tudor within walking distance of West Hartford Center. We were sitting in the car debriefing and he pointed out that all the houses would have looked nearly identical if the street had been developed since 1960.
4. Spring comes early in the This Old House world. There were two articles about tidying up outside which will need to wait at least two more months for those of us in the Hartford area. Even our friends in the warmer climates are getting slammed with winter this year, so I’m not sure if there is anywhere entering spring at the moment. Washington DC is a mess, and apparently it’s snowing in Atlanta today.
I picked up all of these tidbits in the first half of the magazine. But wait, there’s more! Secrets to Curb Appeal … Reader Remodel of an American Foursquare… Garden Junk … All About Wood Windows. This Old House is terrific for homeowners interested in learning about little things they can do around their place, inside and out. And there are ideas on just about every page for those who aren’t likely to pick up a hammer themselves.
Now, about those wood windows…