Permaculture: Herb Spirals

I've been seeing herb spirals in lots of demonstration gardens lately, so of course I had to try building one for myself this summer.

The basic idea is to put more drought-tolerant herbs at the center to keep them high and dry, then spiral downward to the plants that need more moisture. The varying sunlight, moisture, and soil conditions along the spiral can effectively create separate microclimates designed to suit a variety of herb plants that ordinarily wouldn't grow well together.


Here's how I built mine...

When building any new raised-bed type garden, you'll want to put down newspaper or cardboard to keep the weeds down. I used bricks secured with sticks as vertical reinforcement, but I've seen others use stones or concrete masonry blocks. Be creative!  A quick search for "herb spiral" on Pinterest could keep you entertained for hours. 

Next I put down a bed of rosemary bush trimmings, followed by some pecan leaf compost, then topped it with garden soil.

Most of the herbs I planted as seedlings for instant gratification, but I planted a few as seeds also. From the top down:

1. Cilantro
2. Borage
3. Thyme
4. Sage
5. Basil
6. Parsley
7. Chives
8. Lettuce

The finished product!
 

Fun fact: the Maori people of New Zealand use the spiral shape as a symbol of creation or new beginnings. The koru is reminiscent of the way fiddlehead ferns unfurl.

 

References:

http://campuscropsmcgill.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-bit-of-permaculture-build-your-own.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/herb-spiral-zm0z11zhun.aspx

http://themicrogardener.com/4-step-guide-to-building-a-herb-spiral/


 

How the garden grows

“Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating.”
― Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays 



Here's what we planted in the big garden...

Corn:  Stowell's Evergreen sweet
Okra:  Star of David
Peas:  Serge
Tomato:  Early Girl, Roma (seedlings)
Sweet pepper:  Alma Paprika, Golden Wonder (green, yellow, red), Pimento
Hot pepper:  Ascent hybrid, Jalapeno, Long Red Slim Cayenne, Tabasco, Habanero
Bush bean:  Tiger's Eye (shelling)
Cucumber: McPick hybrid
Summer squash:  Astia zucchini, Grey Griller
Winter squash:  Hunter hybrid butternut
Melon:  Minnesota Midget canteloupe, Honey Ace hybrid honeydew, Sugar Baby watermelon

Most of these are seeds we ordered from Territorial Seed online.

We'd also ordered seeds for Heinz and Koralik Cherry tomato, but since we got off to a late start with planting, we started some in seedling pots and filled in the rows with seedlings from the local nursery.

In the smaller front garden we used up my leftover seeds from last year, plus a few eggplant and cherry tomato seedlings...

Arugula, basil, chard, garlic, kale, lettuce, onions, parsley, spinach
Beans (bush and pole), cherry tomato, cucumber, eggplant, zucchini
Cardinal climber vine, cosmos, four o'clocks, marigold, pink amaranth, sunflower, sweet pea, zinnia

It's probably too late for the early-spring crops like peas and lettuce, but since the seeds were old we figured best to use them up now.

Cake for a rainy day

 
The rain kept us out of the garden today, so… cake!

This one is a French-style Yogurt Cake from A Homemade Life - a lovely book by Molly Wizenberg. Check out her new book Delancey and her excellent food blog Orangette.

I left out the lemon zest, and it's perfectly delicious without the syrup or the icing.

Enjoy!

(I forgot to take a picture... we devoured it too quickly.)
 
Cake ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 plain yogurt
1 c sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c veg oil (I used olive oil: still delicious!)

 
Syrup ingredients:

1/4 c powdered sugar
1/4 c lemon juice

 
Icing ingredients:

1 c powdered sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice

 
Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease a 9" round cake pan with butter (I used an 8" cast iron skillet instead).

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add lemon zest and whisk again.

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring to mix well.

Add flour mixture and stir just to combine.

Add the oil and stir well - it will look terrible, but keep going and it will all come together.

Pour into pan and bake for 25-35 min (closer to 45 if you use the skillet) - use a toothpick to make sure the center is done.

Cool for 15 min before adding the syrup.
Remove cake from pan, whisk together syrup ingredients, and spoon atop cake.
Whisk together icing ingredients and spoon over cooled cake.

Wait an hour for icing to firm up, or just eat it now.


 

Best.Eggplant.Recipe.Ever

I nearly had a panic attack when I realized I'd left town without my favorite eggplant recipe... until I remembered it was posted on the Wednesday Chef blog.  Here, for your culinary delight!

http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2010/06/francis-lams-letmyeggplantgo-free-spaghetti.html

Spaghetti with Let-My-Eggplant-Go-Free! Sauce
Serves 3 or 4
1 pound eggplant, cut into ½ inch slices
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
2 springs thyme or oregano, chopped
1 cup chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons sun-dried or oven-dried tomatoes, minced
6 leaves basil, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper
1 pound spaghetti

1. Lightly salt the slices of eggplant, stack them back together and let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Put the olive oil in a wide, heavy saucepan, add the garlic cloves, and set over low heat.
3. Dry off the eggplant, cut it into chunks. When you start hearing the garlic sizzle a little and can smell it, drop in your eggplant and stir to coat it all with oil. Turn up the heat a little bit to medium high and add the thyme or oregano and stir. When the eggplant is turning translucent and softening, add the liquid, let it come to a boil, and turn it back down to medium-low. Let it bubble for a bit and cover it, leaving a crack for steam to escape. Stir once in a while so that the bottom doesn’t stick.
4. After about 20 minutes or so, the liquid in the eggplant pan should be mostly evaporated and the eggplant should be soft and melting. Mash it with a fork or spoon, and adjust the seasoning to taste.
5. Toss the eggplant purée with the spaghetti that you cooked al dente. Stir in the minced tomatoes and basil. You can gild the lily with drizzling on some more oil. Serve immediately.

Baltimore County recycling turns a profit

The new recycling facility in north Baltimore County earned $750k in just four months this year!

Learn more here:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/cockeysville/ph-tt-recycling-center-0402-20140328,0,6113523.story

Want to join a monthly tour?  Contact a Public Works Public Information Specialist using the email listed at the end of the Baltimore Sun article linked above.

But what about Styrofoam?

What is Styrofoam exactly, and why can't you recycle it in Baltimore county?  Read on for an excerpt from the county recycling newsletter that answers this FAQ...

"...Savvy residents are already aware of the materials accepted, and not accepted, in Baltimore County’s single stream program. However, even the most avid recycler may not realize why certain types of materials are not accepted. In this issue of The REsource, we will address some questions concerning expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. This material is often generically referred to as “Styrofoam™.” However, the trademarked brand name actually references a different type of polystyrene that is extruded (pressed through a die to form a desired shape), not expanded. Neither form of polystyrene is accepted for recycling in Baltimore County.

EPS is a form of polystyrene plastic that can be used for numerous purposes, including packing material, food and beverage containers, and building insulation. Many manufacturers favor EPS as a material due to its low weight, rigid structure, and formability. However, these same properties also make EPS very difficult to recycle.

Because EPS is composed of 98 percent air, and thus extremely light for its volume, this material is not economical to collect and transport. In addition, EPS used to store and serve food is usually contaminated, and requires cleaning before it can be processed for recycling – a step that would incur additional costs. There are some jurisdictions in the United States with EPS recycling programs; however, these programs typically are limited to collection at drop-off centers (not curbside) and have strict limitations on the types of EPS accepted. For example, a program that accepts EPS food containers for recycling may not accept EPS packing “peanuts.”

Though Baltimore County does not accept EPS for recycling, there are still some ways to reduce the amount of this material that ends up in our landfill. Many packaging service stores, such as The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc., will accept EPS packing “peanuts” for reuse. In addition, EPS Industry Alliance in Crofton, Maryland will accept clean, white EPS packaging materials for reuse or recycling – visit epsindustry.org for details."

STEM + Spanish Inquisition = fun

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition... unless they made it to the Grand Awards round of judging at the DC STEM Fair this past Saturday!

Sponsored by corporations including Battelle, Northrop Grumman, and Bentley Systems, and organized by The Three Birds Foundation, this whirlwind event brought together a few hundred students, educators, and volunteers all in the name of STEM.  The day featured guest appearances by DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray, keynote speaker Stephen Ritz of Green Bronx Machine, a Tesla electric car, and LEED green building tours of the H.D. Woodson STEM High School by cox graae + spack architects. 

Thanks to the student award winners, I learned about planaria, zebrafish, arduino-powered cars,  western blot tests, and many other marvels of science and technology during my time on the Grand Awards judging panel.  Congratulations to the students, parents, and teachers for all the hard work they put into this event!

Earthquakes and ungreen housing trends in Japan

Why do the Japanese bulldoze houses after only 30 years?  Contrast this approach to the built environment to the European mindset of maintaining and renovating buildings for hundreds of years.  What gives?

In this Freakonomics podcast, the economist Steves dissect this phenomenon, citing local experts and (of course) statistics.  For example...

Japan has 3.8 times more architects per capita than the USA, and 2.1 times as many construction jobs.

Half of houses are demolished within 38 years, compared to 100 years in the USA.

Why?

Theories range from spirituality to post-WWII history to earthquake building code revisions.

As a structural engineer, that last part caught my attention.  Did you know that 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude greater than or equal to 6 have occurred in Japan?  In the years since WWII, this has resulted in Japanese building codes' earthquake provisions being updated at a greater frequency than in most countries.  Homebuilders there use this as a marketing device to encourage consumers to rebuild rather than renovate... and this has contributed to a culture of Do-It-For-Me more than DIY.

In addition to being environmentally unfriendly, more than one economist has suggested that this custom may be contributing to the economic slump in Japan.

Listen to the full podcast here:
http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-are-japanese-homes-disposable/http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-are-japanese-homes-disposable/

Image credit:  http://www.busyboo.com/2008/08/25/japanese-house-design-mineral/

Touring Philadelphia's green buildings

A few notes from the green building tour I took at the Greenbuild 2013 conference in Philadelphia recently...

This tour (TF06)was called "Rebirth of a Neighborhood: Going Green in Northern Liberties and Kensington," and included residences constructed by Onion Flats (Rag Flats and The Twins), Kensington CAPA school, and Postgreen rowhouses (100k and Skinny). 

Rowhouses in Philadelphia's working-class neighborhoods are often of bandbox or trinity type, constructed with a central staircase.  The residences we visited incorporated sustainable features such as pervious paving, plyboo (bamboo plywood), rain chains, intensive green roofs, SIPs, induction cooktops, radiant floor slab heating, ERV Ultimate Air RecoupAerator fans, skylights for minimal electric lighting, HVAC hydronic distribution, and mini-split heat pumps.  It was noted that the use of SIPs allowed builders to avoid thermal bridging by hanging joists on the inside face of SIP walls as with rimboard deck construction.  In-floor storage and no second floor heating contributed to overall efficiency.

The Kensington High School for Creative And Performing Arts (CAPA) features large windows and sawtooth roof construction to allow for maximum daylight, along with solar panels, geothermal wells, and heat pumps for optimal energy efficiency.  Much attention was given to community revitalization in this transitional neighborhood:  for instance, the 500-foot deep rainwater tank was buried onsite lest it be punctured by drive-by shootings.  The school was constructed on a remediated brownfield with special considerations for stormwater management and public transportation access.

See more photos here.

It's raining persimmon

One sunny yet crisp weekend in October, I joined a group of persimmon-hunting friends on a farm in West Virginia.  Following a string of warm days and cool nights, it was almost the perfect time to harvest these cheery little orange fruits... almost.  The first one I picked was not quite ripe, and I quickly learned why people talk about the Hachiya persimmon's Pucker Power!  After this I only ate the fruits so obviously ripe that their sticky jam-like flesh oozed out from wrinkled skins - yum.  As for the not-so-ripe ones, we carted a bag of them home to ripen on the counter for a persimmon pudding.

Really the best way to pick persimmons is to gather the fallen from the ground after the first frosts - if you can find them before the local wildlife do.  The other best way, as we discovered, is to shake the tree while singing "It's raining persimMEN!"

More persimmon facts, including history and growth habits, plus recipes here:
http://www.eattheweeds.com/persimmons-pure-pucker-power-2/

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/12/chocolate-persimmon-muffins-recipe-kim-boyce-good-to-the-grain/

http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2008/12/13/hachiya-persimmons/

http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2012/12/04/roasted-persimmon-brie-salad/

Also in season right now:
Apple
Basil
Eggplant
Kale
Osage orange
Pawpaw 
Potato
Tomato
Walnut
Winter squash