Water - a more fragile resource than we acknowledge

Some of my friends understand my obsession about water, and some don't. Though our city water systems have evolved a very high quality of life, there is a fragility, and toxicity, to the system.

It may be impractical for everyone to become self-sufficient when it comes to water - but water quality, and sourcing, is worth investigating.

We get our drinking water from a fresh river source which is run through ultra-violet filtration - and there are several spring water sources like this around the island. It may seem like a lot of work to collect water - but with all the chemicals being added to city water, and the research on plastic leaching the carcinogen Bisphenol A - we are risking our health if we don't choose to pay attention.

An example of my ignorance on this subject is that I thought if you used a plastic water bottle enough times, it would stop leaching. But in fact, it is the other way around! The more you re-use plastic water bottles, the more little crevices form from which the toxins leach.

At Thanksgiving someone mentioned that I am not the only one who thinks water may be an issue in the future. Apparently large corporations like Coca-Cola are buying up water rights. (I've got a long string of four letter words about that - but I'll spare you).

If you are fortunate to live somewhere where there is ample rainfall, one option is catchment. Some people meaning well have unwittingly made themselves sick not handling their catchment correctly - so check out this guide if you are thinking to go that route:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/RM-12.pdf

What ever solution you come to regarding water safety and sourcing - it's a good idea to think it through carefully.

Here is an interesting link to a West Michigan group that is helping people understand just one of the many water issues we are now faced with the environmental impact our modern cities have on delicate eco-systems. Just something to consider to see how varied the issues involved can be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlScj9yN6Jw&eurl=http://www.urbanraincatchersgazette.ca/show2s/INSPIRING_VIDEOS

Basil: benefits and starts – the easiest herb to cultivate and use.

Basil is a very versatile herb which grows prolifically in a window box or in the ground with a little light and some good, moist soil. I learned that it’s easy to keep your basil supply fresh and plentiful year round.

In Hawaii, basil put in the ground tends to turn into small trees, replete with mini-woody trunks. Though we started with a single 5” high basil plant from the Kula Nursery, it quickly took root and started producing far more than we could ever use. But as time progressed, the quality of the basil began to change. What once were tender, soft leaves gave way to wrinkled and tough ones. The stalks changed too. At first the stems were soft and flexible and later hard, snapping like a dry twig in your hand.

I thought a nutrient deficiency might be the problem so went to work researching the subject. I found out it wasn’t what I thought at all.

Apparently all basil tends to have an earlier tender stage and later woody stage which is inevitable; it just depends on how fast the environmental elements effect its maturation.

 

I learned that basil does not need to be started form seed but actually propagates quickly and simply from clippings. Using the basil plant that is beginning to turn woody, clip off fresh groupings of leaves which are still tender and put in water in the window for 5-7 days. And Voila! – roots grow and it will be ready to plant.



We have had somewhere around 50 basil trees, all which originated with this one plant from the nursery. Every time ours start to turn, I just clip off the tips and start over.

Just a word of advice on this though: when you first put the starts in soil, they will droop for a few days as they adjust to being in soil. Keep them out of direct hot sun while they adjust, and they will pop back once they take root.

Our favorite thing to do with basil besides a caprese salad which requires tomatoes that we don’t have all the time, is to make pesto. We are starting to grow the garlic too, and I use macadamia nuts rather than pine nuts because I prefer the taste, and they are local. I am under the impression that everyone knows how to make pesto - but here's a basic recipe with a couple twists to experiment with, just in case:

Pesto:

Basil - two large hand full of cleaned leaves removed from stem

3/4 cup olive oil

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2-4 garlic cloves, depending on size and personal preference

1/2 cup nuts - optional, can use pine or macadamia.

1/4 cup ground Parmesan - optional, I also like to sprinkle with feta on top as an alternative

Grind it all up in the Cuisinart, and Bob's your uncle!

We also make cilantro pesto and arugula pesto by throwing in a handful of one or the other with the main recipe. Yum!

The Transition Movement

It seems you can find a scientist to support just about any future projection in regards to planetary outcome in the near and distant futures - from 'hard proof' that we are heading to extinction to 'hard proof' that everything is business as usual on planet earth.

We don't know what the outcome is going to be, but between carbon emissions and bank bail outs - it certainly doesn't look like business as usual. I think we can agree that our world is being polluted, and that there is much inherent suffering created by the lifestyles we live in the US.

No matter what you believe, most people seem to want change (we voted for it - even if we didn't get it!). What stands in our way is the idea that we believe that we must wait on government to make change, or that there needs to be immediate economic benefit to our efforts.

Colette and I have found, along with tens of thousands of other people around the world, that inspiration begins in our own backyard with what we can do today, and communities are already reaping the rewards of their efforts.

I really recommend the following 50 minute movie created by the Transition Movement to get you thinking in a new way about a positive, and possible future: http://www.transitionnetwork.org/support/publications/transition-movie

After that, check out these links (see below for movie recommendations) for more great info:

http://www.transitionnetwork.org/
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
http://c-realmpodcast.podomatic.com/

Movies:
The End of Suburbia
Crude Awakenings
The Power of Community
An Inconvenient Truth

Picking an Avocado

Jan claims not to know much about avocados, at least not compared with people who have been growing them for 35 years like the old guy at the market. But when Jan's trees aren't going off, I've watched her inspect avocados at the market or Mana Foods with a great deal of interest. It's clear she knew what she was looking for - and with the duds I can pick, I wanted to know too.

Here's what she told me:

Avocado's are often picked before they are ready - I don't mean ripe - but ready. That means that the avocado needs to ripen to a certain degree before it is removed from the tree or it won't ripen correctly (thus the rubbery texture), no matter how long you wait. Apparently once the tree starts dropping fruit, then it's time to pay attention as the first wave is ready. You'd think growers would wait until the right time - but apparently many of them don't. So you need to know what to look for at the market or in the shops.

The big tip is that the stem of the avo (if there is one), where the fruit meets it at the top, should have become darker and look a bit older. It shouldn't be a bright fresh green, or it was picked too soon. If it doesn't have a stem, depending on whether that occurred naturally, could mean that the fruit had already fallen to the ground of it's own accord. That's a good thing. Either way, you still want to look at the fruit itself to be sure the flesh has filled out the skin which will make the avocado appear smooth and full, not puckered or wrinkled, especially around where the stem is or was. Most avocados are best when the lumps and bumps have given way to a smooth full body.

That being said there are many types of avocados, from watery and light to creamy and heavy. Most people seem to prefer the oiler type typified by a Hass. There is no guarantees about which avocado shape or size is going to give you what you're looking for, but Sharwils are popular here on the island and rarely does one go wrong with a Sharwil. When in doubt, ask the avocado purveyor - they'll know which kind they have.

But you will have to determine if the avocado has been picked too early using the above tips.

With all the types of avocado's there are many which are hard to tell when they are ripe and you can think that the hard exterior means it needs more time only to have it be rotten when you open it. Rather than using my previous "trial and error" method of hoping and opening, try a tooth pick from the top. If the toothpick meets no resistance, then the flesh is ready.

Once you have your avocado - here's a suggestion of what to do with it:

Guacamole
We tend to throw everything in, adjusting the elements to taste based on what kind of avocado we find. But this will give you a jumping off point for your own experiments:

1 ripe avocado
juice of half a lime (lemon works too)
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
1 tbsp finely diced onion
1 clove of garlic - pressed or finely diced
1/4 cup chopped tomato, small pieces
1/8 of a green hot chili pepper - finely diced
a dash of hot sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste.

We like Hav'a Chips corn chips (bad name, the best corn chips!) with our guac. These chips are really good, but soon, we're going to master making our own chips.
Tip: the chips are extra fabulous warmed just before serving - spread out on a cookie sheet or foil in the convection oven or broiler for just a couple minutes - yum!

Enjoy :)

D's Big Inspiration Sources

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - creator of "River Cottage"


Several years ago, I came across a show called "River Cottage" about a guy who had decided to leave city life behind (London) and headed to the country side to start a new life growing his own food and raising his own animals. He started in 1998, from humble beginnings, he's now introduced a program called Land Share to help others actualize a similar dream. He is matching land owners with people who have a passion for growing and raising organic food - and so far 50,000 people have been coupled to make the dream a reality for the average non-land owning person.

I found, and continue to find, his show very inspiring. The first series is called Escape to River Cottage. Season 2 is Return to River Cottage. The third is Beyond River Cottage where he branches out with 40 plus acres.

Here is the link to season 1, epsiode 1: http://www.factualtv.com/documentary/Escape-to-River-Cottage-Episode-1

There is more stuff available on YouTube for River Cottage, including bread making, mushroom picking, free-foraging, etc.

The other main source of inspiration came from a family of four in Pasadena California who live on 1/10th of an acre and are producing 6,000 pounds plus of organic food per year, and providing a living for all four adult family members.

The Dervaes Family

Here is a great video they created to introduce new comers to what they do, and why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCPEBM5ol0Q

From there - you can branch out and learn more through their web site, other videos, and their blog. They also sell seeds and pioneer-style kitchen and garden products (http://www.peddlerswagon.com/)

NPK? - What's wrong with my plant?

Are you having the experience of starting with a happy healthy looking plant only to have the leaves turn yellow or brown or spotty?

There are many possibilities, but usually it's because your soil is lacking in a basic nutrient.

In our garden, we found veiny patterns and yellowing to be the main two issue. In researching what was happening, we found the following amazing reference: http://4e.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=3&id=289

Take a close look at your leaf and compare to the pictures in the lower part of the article, and you can quickly diagnose.

Inspiration Taking Root

(video of the 2 acres we've been offered to farm at the bottom of this post - with characteristic Daren embellishments for fun - check it out!)

We’re really happy that Dano’s on board with our gowing vision (Yay!).

Yesterday, D spent the day with Dan (Dano) and Brendan in Haiku at Jess and Dano’s home clearing Gliricidia trees (an amazing nitrogen fixing tree – which will make fantastic soil once chipped for compost).  

Brendan made a really good point – which is, why should we prepare someone else’s land (the two acres.....Video at bottom of this blog) before we get the land "in the family" up and producing! (duh? – how silly are we?? – thank you Brendan).

So our focus has become to update the clearing and planting that Dano started on his property 20 years ago. He’s put a lot of energy and preparation in to the land over the years, including the forethought to plant the Gliricidia trees when he got his property. The place is already producing, and loaded with potential.

D said that they unearthed a lime tree (and accidentally cut down an All Spice tree) while clearing – and that there are lots of other healthy fruit trees on the property just waiting for a little boost to really take off.

Dano has threatened to start contributing to this blog - and we're hoping he's serious. (He does know just a wee-bit about this stuff - though you'll never hear him blowing his own horn - so I will - 'toot-toot!') 

We realized our own garden isn’t producing like it could be. We got a little lazy with the idea that it’s a ‘winter garden’ – but in truth, we need to get more winterized plants in the ground.

Before and after pictures of the clearing progress:

Here are some of the Gliricidias planted many years ago in-between planting rows. The tree stumps will send up new shoots in 2 weeks or so and begin the process again. As you can see, the trees have crowded out light.

 (Dano's existing veggie garden)

The After:

Gliricidias stacked and ready for chipping

All in a days work for Dano, Brendan (B) and Daren (D)

The two acres we have been offered to farm.

Seed Board

We used to keep all our seeds in a container, and we accumulated so many that it became a pain in the bum to sort through them. So we created a seed board which has been an inspiration for us and other's to plant more.

Lock up your baby chicks!

I'll relay this story, because I think it's still hard on D.

I love animals, but never thought much of birds until I lived up in Olinda where the owner had a huge chicken coop. Long story short, I got hooked. Who knew they could be so personable?

I think it's worth raising your chickens from babies even though it costs a bit in feed before they will start to lay (about 6 months in). Get them from someone who is going to give you healthy, strong birds. D's first chickens were wild birds the neighbors trapped for him, but the eggs never got very large, and the leader of the pack was REALLY mean. She killed my dove - stuck my dove in the neck with her beak! Of course, in the wild, chickens eat doves - so she was only doing what she had learned in the wild to survive.

It was hard on me just the same.

Anyway, it's much more fun to have friendly birds greet you at the door in the morning and eat out of your hand. The eggs are much bigger, so it's worth it on that level too (we paid $5 a piece for pure bred chicks).

But this is the story of our first group of babies - the ones D can't talk about.

I went to Vicki and Chris in Puklani to pick out 8 beauties (Not sure if she wants me to publish her #, so if you are interested in getting some, let me know and I'll get it for you). I put them in a large dog kennel because they were so tiny. I encouraged Daren to spend time with them so they would be bonded to him. The first couple weeks, he sat diligently on the front porch holding each one in turn, every day.

D build the girls a nice coop and after a couple weeks of being kept in the dog kennel on a heating pad, they were ready to fly, literally. So we tucked them into the new coop.

A few days later, we awoke to disaster - 6 of the 8 babies were gone - no where in sight. We knew the dogs couldn't have gotten in - so we were baffled as to what had happened until we found a small mongoose size hole dug under the fence.

We were both devastated. Only Edie and Mo survived. We have Mo today, though Edie turned out to be an 'Ed', so when he began to crow, we returned him to the breeder after she promised he would go to a good home.

We got a new crew from Vicki who was very sympathetic, but Daren didn't sit on the porch with them. I know he likes the new girls, but I think the loss weighed too heavy on his heart to get bonded as he did the first time around.

Here's our homage to our first chicken crew:

"Edie" - later known to be "Ed" - won the cutest portrait award.
(Americana - they lay blue and/or green eggs)

Georgie, so named for her mustache (Barred Plymouth Rock)

Hen - short for Henrietta (Barred Plymouth Rock)

Mirabella - so named because when she grew up, her feathers would have been iridescent, like a fairy.

(Black Sex Link)

'Poo' - short for Pualani, which means "heavenly flower" in Hawaiin.
This loss may have been the hardest for D

(Buff Orpington)

Rosie - so named for her color

(Road Island Red)



Daisy - my little sweetie. I loved them all, but Daisy and I had a special bond

:(

(Buff Orpington)

And Mo, our sole survivor, so named because as a baby, we could tell her apart from her sister by the darker red line of fluff on her head that looked like a Mohawk.

(Road Island Red)

Lesson: Until your babies are 10 weeks or older, you are at risk of loosing them to Mongoose.

Mongoose are very good diggers. Unless you run the edges of the cage into the ground at least a foot (which is still no guarentee), or pour cement to secure the bottom, then keep them inside the house or in a tightly secured cage to avoid setting up a mongoose smorgasbord. After our loss, we dug a foot and a half down, ran chicken wire into the ground at an angle, and reinforced it with buried rocks as well as topical stones around the perimeter.

Soil Testing

We decided a basic soil analysis was a good idea after talking with Steve Wilson of Kumulani Farms. I used to live on the property where his farm is, but unfortunately at that time I was not interested in soil and growing things (maybe fortunate for him though because I might have been glued to his leg - he’s such a wealth of knowledge!).

I thought we would be testing for toxins and things like that, but apparently that's not only expensive, but isn’t really necessary unless you have a specific concern about toxicity. If you are concerned about heavy metals, do a layer of cilantro as a ground cover and it will pull the toxins out of the soil, just like it does in your body. Pretty cool, huh? (Steve tip)

There is some discrepancy as to whether you can eat that ground cover when it's done it's job. Steve says eat it – but I wouldn’t unless someone can answer the question where those heavy metals get to, and so far I have no clear answers on that. If the cilantro metabolizes the metals, then OK. But I’ve never heard of heavy metals being metabolized. As I understand it, cilantro binds to the heavy metals in the body so they can be excreted with your mornin’ business, specifically because we can’t metabolize them. So I am a play it safe gal – if you are really concerned about heavy metals, get rid of the ground cover – and not in the compost bin!

We chose to do several basic soil samples because we seemed to have such varying soil qualities. D will have to explain more specifically about basic soil construction. But the bottom line is that different phases need different basic nutrients. So you can start out with some nice growth only to have it wilt, brown, or fail to fruit if you are lacking what the plant requires.

The lab we used was great (recommended by Steve).

Perry Agricultural Laboratory, Inc.
15241 County Road 138
Bowling Green, MO 63334
(573) 324-2931

They weren’t expensive ($37.80 for two soil samples) and they were willing to get on the phone with me and do a little interpreting. We got some important tips about what would happen to our trees down the line if we didn’t take action, about using chicken poo, and other long term considerations.

BTW: For those of you who don’t know, Kumulani Farms in Olinda is where the annual Body and Soil conference happens, and from what I understand, it’s well worth the entrance fee not only to get inspired, but to learn invaluable and practical tips on making any size garden flourish. As Steve will tell you, it’s all about the soil. Early registration discount coming up fast (12/20). Check it out.

Natural pest control for beginners

I think having great results straight away is key for new gardeners. That way a larger percentage will carry on encouraged by success growing more and more stuff and expanding into a bigger area sooner.

For success, firstly you should find out what grows well in your area, Maui has many microclimates so the things that grow well in Kula on the slopes of Haleakala may not grow at all in Heulo near the ocean.

Soil is very important. The healthier the soil, the healthier the plant which greatly reduces the likelyhood of attack from bugs and greatly increases the yields......If you were to just dig down and stick in a plant willy - nilly chances are you will end up with a very sad anemic looking veggie, on the other hand if you were to dig down nice and deep, say 18”-24”(Make sure you dig up the first 6” and set aside as it should go on the top mix, this is where most of the micro-organisms live and they help greatly in the growth of plants) mix in some organic compost, organic chicken poo and trace minerals and water daily when it’s hot and dry, then you should be well on your way to eating fresh, healthy home grown veggies…….

For a more indepth analysis on soil preperation and health, check out this link:

http://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfi_approach1.html

One of the main things new gardens need help with is the control of pests that want to eat the food before you do. As time goes by you will need less and less of this concoction until eventually you will need none at all, that is if you plant the right flowers and plants to attract the beneficial bugs that feast on the non-beneficials, the idea being that in a totally organic garden you will have a system of pest management where everybody gets to eat and forever!!! Sure you are going to lose a plant here or a leaf there, but in the grander scheme of things it’s really not a big deal. But before you get established beneficials in place, here is a natural pest control remedy the good people at Kula garden center gave me (I tweaked it a bit as the cayenne pepper clogged up my sprayer):

To 1 qt water add ½ t cayenne stir well and let steep for several hours and put through a sieve then add

1 t doctor Bronner’s peppermint soap

1 t Neem oil

½ cup rubbing alcohol (helps break up and spread the neem)

Put in a sprayer and spray your plants in the morning…..Bugs don’t like that muck!!!!

We really perk up our plants with a FREE gallon of compost tea which we got Friday at Eco-Island Supply. Check with them before you head down to make sure the offer is still available.

Eco-Island Supply

Backside of Haiku Market Place 
810 Haiku Rd #394 
808.575.9171

Happy Eats

Kale Salad recipe (easy – yummy!)

Blue Scotch Kale (also called Dwarf Blue Kale, and other variations of these words) is the best, and in my opinion, the only kale to use for this salad. It's light, sweet, and really easy to grow here on Maui. Slow to bolt, frost and drought resistance, it just keeps on giving. Three starts have provided us salad almost daily for 7 months. The plants are really tall now, and have slowed down production since the ground cooled this month, but still showing no signs of stopping.

Note: this kale preperation can also be thrown into other salad mixes because the leaves become mild and soft.

Recipe:

6 stalks of Blue Scotch Kale

2-4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (Landmark is the best)

1 small tomato

½ cup sunflower seeds

dressing:

2 oz lemon juice

2 oz olive oil

2 oz Braggs

Tear the leaves of 6 stalks into small pieces leaving out the thicker spine parts, unless you like an earthy crunch. Pour 2-4 tbsp olive oil over leaves and ‘massage’ firmly. Don’t be shy, get in there and work it Swedish style! You want to break down the fibers in the leaves and make sure the olive oil fully coats all the bits. The leaves will turn darker and reduce to about half the bulk.

Throw in feta, finely chopped tomato, and sunflower seeds.

In a separate bowl, mix dressing. I find a 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 combo of lemon, olive oil, and Braggs is best, but flax oil is also nice, and you can adjust the saltiness and sourness to suit your pallet.

Just brought this to a Thanksgiving feast where the entire meal was incredible, and yet everyone was talking about the salad :)

Enjoy!

Why we do what we do...

We LOVE Good Food!

(Good for the Aina, Good for the heart, Good for the body and soul)

Here's an early crop, back in the day when we thought we could grow anything and everything -

...And we got a lot!

In time we learned that certain things thrived, and others did not.

Our big winners have been arugula, Blue Scotch Kale, rainbow chard, basil (note on planting and replanting to follow), celantro (you need the seeds that don't bolt), radishes, white/yellow onions (slow, but beauties), cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini.

Our big losers have been brocholi, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kumbucha squash, and carrots.

Tomatoes are hard to grow here, but D has been diligent and the one's we've gotten have been fabulous. He's grown heirloom's - the Black Krims have been the winners, though it's been fun having all the colors. The trick is that tomatoes really need a lot of sun, and they need to be covered on Maui from the dew because they get the creepy-crud (powedery mildew) really badly. So don't try tomatoes if you are expecting a big yeald or live any further towards Haiku than Makawao. We hear of success in Kula where it is much dryer.

Big LOVE...........1lb 4oz Beefsteak

D has an amazing recipe for all natural bug spray he got from Kula Ace.

The Homestead -"'eat your lawn"

We decided in April it was time to eat our lawn.

Daren had made efforts to have a garden the year before when I didn't live here. He built some nice raised boxes and grew lettuce, herbs, potatoes, and few other bits and bobs - but the inspiration was lost when he got busy with work.

I am of the thinking that for most of us, it takes two to make a garden happen, at least the kind of garden which endures season after season producing food. What I wish for everyone is someone to garden with. We've found that the support to actually make it happen comes out of the synergy of both of us (though admittedly, D does the majority of the 'heavy-lifting'). If there are lone gardeners out there - maybe we can be your support.

So this was the near the beginning...

(You can see we've put in fruit trees on the left and there is a box going in at the end)

Here in Hawaii, it doesn't take long for things to really take-off.

60 days later...

We had to drill out some cement found under the lawn, and the soil varied quit a lot - from brown, fluffy and loamy to red volcanic clay. Our desire was to have everything be organic and symbiotic, so we turned to D's friend Dan for his 30 years of permaculture experience.

We've learned A LOT about soil and bugs and nutrients and companion planting - and we've connected with some good garden info as well as garden and food suppliers along the way. So if you love good food, we hope to get you hooked up with the best upcountry Maui has to offer.

2 Acres and a tractor

D came home last week with a big grin, "you'll never guess what happened."

I thought he had won the lottery, and in a way he had.

2 acres and a tractor have been offered to him to farm and he's going tomorrow to to meet with the property owners to secure the deal. Triple-Cool-Farms the dream is becoming a reality.

Stay tuned for photos and lots of good info. Our idea with this blog is to continue to share our successes and failures with you to inspire and save time in your own farming and gardening endeavours.