Local Farmer's Markets

I've had the opportunity to visit a few local farmer's markets in the triangle, so I thought I'd share a bit about my experiences. When one thinks about going to visit a farmer's market, the first one that comes to mind is the NC State Farmer's Market. I've been many times to this particular one, and have never left empty-handed. The space is huge, having an outdoor and indoor area, as well as 2 restaurants. I recommend going early for breakfast, the biscuits are amazing! Having said that, this market overwhelms me every time I visit. I like the wide variety, but having so many vendors in one location is too much for me. On my last visit I developed a strategy to visit the vendors coming from surrounding counties. Many farms from Johnston County are always present at the State Farmer's Market.

Carrboro Farmer's Market is my favorite in the area, hands down. It is much more intimate than the large, bustling state version. Another important fact about the Carrboro Farmer's Market that I appreciate is that all food must be grown within a 50 mile radius of Carrboro. This means buying from these farmers ensures the food on your plate hasn't wasted time and energy traveling to you. Speaking of the farmer's, at this market the person offering you fresh produce is the farmer. Often at larger markets with less stringent rules, the farmer is not the person you buy your food from.

Both markets offer a wide variety of fresh, seasonal produce as well as specialty items and baked goods year-round. There are many other farmer's markets in the area, be sure to check out the one closest to you. If you've never visited a Farmer's Market before, I recommend starting with a smaller, community-located one. You'll likely have an opportunity to talk with the farmer (who are always eager to tell you all about their selection) and not be so overwhelmed. Once you have an idea of what going to market is like, visit the State Farmer's Market, it's definitely an experience!

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #22

Greetings, Beausol locavores:
As I will explain below, we need to get ALL the reusable CSA bags back  this week.  Please be sure to return them to the drop site at Meredith BEFORE Tuesday, to Brian, or have them on your doorstep on Thursday  -  as the appropriate case may be.  Thank you.  I hope those of you who used them found them convenient and helpful.
The Crop Mob cavalry has come and gone.  They did a wonderful job of catching us up on a good bit of work.  The 25 or so young folks weeded and mulched five big perennial beds and planted garlic, lettuce and collards.  It is was a very good day that I thought we were going to have to cancel when the rain started last week.  (A total of an inch and three-quarters.)
I don't know if spiders hibernate, but the seemingly hundred-fold increase in webs I have noticed (and walked into!) the last couple of weeks indicate to me that they are "stocking up" or fattening up for the winter.  Maybe it's just the morning dew that makes them stand out like nets of diamonds hung throughout the farm.
Looking back at the last couple of years' newsletters for this time of year, solidified my memory that this year's gardens are slowing down MUCH faster than the last two.
We have considered how much produce we have distributed this year, how much produce is in the fields ready to harvest and what the weather and next week looks like.  And we have come to a very difficult  decision:
WE ARE CUTTING THE SEASON SHORT AND MAKING THIS WEEK'S DELIVERY THE LAST DELIVERY FOR THE 2009 MAIN SEASON CSA.
This week we will double up on as much stuff as we can. There will be lots of sweet potatoes and garlic to tide you over for a while. We will significantly boost the basil from last week's bounty by giving you a whole plant of basil!  You can dry the basil leaves or freeze the partially or completely prepared basil, as I mentioned last week. We will also cut bigger stems of the perennial herbs (oregano, thyme and rosemary) for you to dry for winter use.  Happily, the fall planted mustard greens for the winter shares is ready to thin sooner than I had expected so we will distribute those thinnings. There are still many peppers on the bushes, but they are not ripening nearly as fast they have been - as you may have noticed, so this week we will load you up with green peppers. (Then you will see, as good as the green peppers are, why I normally only harvest and eat ripe peppers instead of green peppers.)  The okra is still producing, though more slowly.  And the eggplants are putting out fewer and smaller fruit as you also may have noticed. And the last planting of edamame is finally ready to harvest.
As my beautiful bride, Deb, mentioned last week, we had an alien stalking our fields last week wielding ray guns: me.  Laser levels only work in low light so I had to wait until dusk to begin my work of  
analyzing the greenhouse site.... something I should have done BEFORE we planted some of the winter crops or ordered the greenhouse. The chosen site ended up having too much slope (not only do I have a  
terrible sense of time and distance, but apparently also of slope):  two feet end to end and two feet side to side - four feet of drop on one diagonal!  Bummer!   That just won't work.  So the best  
alternative site will cover part of beds already planted for the winter.  So, I need to harvest some "teen-age" lettuce and cilantro and dill.  So those will go into the shares this week also.
In the flower beds, without the presence of the tuberoses, the flowers are also diminishing much faster than usual. This week we will do a rather interesting thing that we hope will please you.  During the  
season, some of the flowers we grew dry well.  We were able to dry some statice, yarrow, "Harry Lauder walking stick" (a variety of hazel) and broom corn.  The eucalyptus is also about ready to cut.So we'll offer the flower shares TWO bouquets this week:  one with fresh flowers and one of dried flowers.  The dried bouquet should last well into the winter, if not longer!
We feel it has been a generally successful season. We hope you have enjoyed the produce and flowers this year.  We have enjoyed growing them.
We believe CSA is indeed about community supporting local agriculture - we also believe it as about building community, building ties to each other and to the land every one of us depends on for our health.   
We feel very confident that everyone has benefited from our relationship this year..... our relationship to the land and to each other.
Lastly, we want to deeply and sincerely thank you for participating in our farm this year.  We very much appreciate your membership in our CSA, our personal community and for being a part of our family this year.  Thank you for supporting our farm, family and locally grown food - and flowers. 
As our CSA season closes, we suggest you to visit the "local producer only" farmers markets in Pittsboro, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Western Wake County, Cary, North Hills and Wake Forest.  [And we do still have a few winter CSA shares available.] Be aware of the legislative processes and issues at both the state and federal level that affect small and family farmers and let your representatives know you support locally and organically grown food.
Sincerely, 
Harry and Deb

Getting Around Raleigh While Perserving the Environment

Getting Around While Saving the Environment

1.) Enjoy a nice stroll and walk to your destination

2.) Biking to your destination will build those leg muscles in no time
3.) Carpool with your friends and expand your social life
4.) Take the bus, it’s easy and cheap…The CAT line is even free with your camcard

Bus Routes

http://www.raleighnc.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_306_202_0_43/http;/pt03/DIG_Web_Content/category/Resident/Transportation/Cat-Index.html

http://www.triangletransit.org/

Raleigh Greenway

http://raleighgreenway.blogspot.com/

http://www.raleighpublicrecord.org/featured/2009/05/11/raleighs-greenway-outlook/

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #20

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

Here at Beausol Gardens, things continue to progress and the cast of characters continues to change. There are many more different butterflies supping at our flowers: fritillaries and sulphurs and others joining the swallowtails and hawk moths. The silverspotted skippers have made way for other strange and beautiful skippers. Weirdly beautiful caterpillars are fat and sluggish, looking for a place to pupate.

Titmice are joining their cousin chickadees dining at our feeders. Hawks are circling and calling... are they staking winter hunting territories or summoning mates (or both)?

I am finding green tree frogs in the strangest places: on the okra, in the flower garden. More leaves are coloring non-green. Even the weeds are changing guard: the grasses and "summer" weeds are being joined by "winter" weeds, like henbit and others.

We planted and transplanted spring flowers this weekend so they will overwinter properly for next year's CSA bouquets. The first 2010 seed catalog arrived. We are often planning ahead. Soon we will be planting onions, garlic and strawberry plants for next year.

I ordered a "hoophouse" (unheated greenhouse) last week. Hopefully it will arrive and we can erect it and plant into it quickly for the winter CSA. With the addition of this resource, we should be able to provide more tender crops earlier in the season. Once we have developed a new "greenhouse growing skill set" we may be able to expand our "summer CSA" further into the spring and fall... vacations may be becoming scarce.

It is probably appropriate to remind us all of some of the aspects of CSA:
In addition to building a community of mutual benefit, producing safer and healthier food and fresher flowers, supporting farmers, and improving our environment, farmers and members share the risk inherent in agriculture. The words "member" and "share" are carefully chosen. CSA members are participants, buying a portion of the season's production: a share of the farm.

Typically, we have hundreds of tuberose stems to include in bouquets during this time. This year we even purchased and planted an additional 1000 tuberose bulbs to join the hundreds we saved from last year. The plants are beautiful and healthy. They are not blooming. The bouquets in late summer should be heavenly scented with several tuberose stems. Sadly, instead of hundreds, we have cut only a couple dozen stems with very few more in sight. Last year at this time we were still having 90 degree days and had excess snap beans, peppers AND tuberoses we could take to the farmers' market after filling the shares.

So all this brings me to an apology for the "skimpy" bouquets that we will have for the remainder of the season. We are working on a couple of options to assure you have some type of bouquet for the last four weeks (including this week - the last (23rd) delivery will be on Oct. 6 and 8) of the CSA.

I can't say I am missing last September's 90 degree weather, but this beautiful cooler weather is definitely slowing things down.

So, this week we will have more peppers. We should also have some hot variety jalapeño peppers this week, I think. There may be some snap beans. And eggplant, okra, herbs and few more cherry tomatoes. The bouquets will have zinnias, gomphrena, celosia, sunflowers, ornamental grasses, solidago, ageratum and verbena.

See you soon,
Harry

Wangari Maathai: Biography and Visit to Meredith College

Wangari Muta Maathi was born in Kenya in 1940. In 1964 she obtained her Biological Sciences degree from Mount St. Scholastica College. In 1966 she earned her Master of Sciences degree from the University of Pittsburgh and she pursued her doctoral studies in Germany at the University of Nairobi. She thus became the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctoral degree of any kind. Maathai became the chair of the department of Ventinary Anatomy at the University of Nairobi in 1976. From 1976-1987 she was active in the National Council of Woman in Kenya. It was here that she introduced planting trees with woman in order to conserve the environment and improve the quality of life. Her incitive turned into a movement known as the Pan African Green Belt. Throughout her journey Wangari endured jailings, beatings and personal loses. Wangari Maathi will be visiting Meredith College on October 1,2009. This is part of Meredith's presidential lecture. The location of the event will occur in the McIver Amphitheater at 7pm. Make Plans To Attend!!!

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #19

Greetings Beausol Locavores:

This newsletter is late due to the holiday weekend... it feels like just another string of work days with additional, different demands... so my biological clock is off... again.

Summer continues to wind down. There are fewer lightning bugs out in the evening. The cicadas have pretty much finished the aerial portion of their lives. The crop pests don't seem to be letting up: the Japanese beetles and Colorado potato beetles are long gone, but the
grasshoppers are very much still active, the harlequin bugs are bothering the fall broccoli, the squash vine borers (not usually a big bother here) performed a brilliant blitzkrieg attack that took out the third and fourth summer squash plantings. The pickle worms have arrived. They are invading the last of the cucumbers as the vines succumb to the downy mildew after a most heroic summer.

The dogwoods are taking on a reddish cast. The elms have a decidedly a yellowish tone. The praying mantis females are looking to become widows.

I tilled under the buckwheat cover crop, depriving the honeybees of a rich foraging ground. Out at the farm I mentioned last week where I attended a Crop Mob work day I noticed lots of soldier beetles (a beneficial beetle - about a half-inch long with a dirty-yellow "shell"
with a large oblong black spot on each half) foraging for pollen on their buckwheat flowers. Oddly, I did not see a single honeybee there. I did not think to ask how their "fruit" crops did this summer without pollinators.

I went into our hives to check on the bees this weekend and found no honey or pollen stored in one hive and no buckwheat honey in the other. They must have eaten all the buckwheat nectar as it was collected. I started feeding the one hive and will start feeding the other soon.

We had a group of homeschoolers, ages 8 and younger, to the farm last Friday. What fun! I do not see how teachers maintain their energy day after day. Whew!

The night temperatures in the sixties are definitely slowing the crops down. PIcking okra every other day seems to be sufficient. There are fewer eggplant needing harvesting each day. The second tomato crop is also starting to slow down. The wonderful peppers don't seem to notice the weather.

The winter crops are all doing splendidly. They are, very happily, all up with a great germination rate! It will soon be time to put the garlic back in the ground, plant next spring's strawberries, transplant the remaining seedlings and direct seed next years spring flowers.

That's about it for now.... time to get back out into the fields.

This week's shares will be full of peppers again. We'll add some eggplant, tomatoes, okra and herbs to the mix. The gladiolus are done and the tuberoses are a monumental disappointment this year. We usually depend on their intense fragrance at this time. The plants are healthy but they are not flowering. The flower bouquets will have zinnias, celosia, sunflowers, verbena, ageratum, gomphrena and solidago.

See you soon.
Harry

Alternative Transportation: Easier than you think!

This summer I decided to tackle two methods of alternative transportation I've been curious about, but have not tried since living in Raleigh: riding the bus and biking. Each was something I shied away from before moving to my current location in the Five Points area. My disclaimer is that both systems in Raleigh need much improvement and depending on your location, biking may not feel safe if you are inexperienced (this was me in my previous neighborhood near Jones Franklin Rd).

I decided my first foray with the bus would be to take it from my apartment to Crabtree Valley Mall. The mall is only about 10 minutes from my apartment, but I saw this as an opportunity to ease into figuring out bus schedules. Luckily my bus route (#16, Oberlin) goes directly to the mall, then to Rex, then loops back to Moore Square Station. Basically all buses travel to Moore Square Station (inbound) and back out again (outbound) on their designated routes.

My advice is to first check out the system-wide map to figure out which bus, or buses, travels down your road. Next pick a place you want to go! If you aren't familiar with bus routes, you may want to pick a location close to where you live, preferably a location on your bus route. Then you can check out the time tables specific to each route on the city of Raleigh transit site. Remember, if you are going towards downtown (Moore Square Station on the map), this is Inbound. Away from downtown is Outbound. The time tables won't show all stops on the route, just the major intersections. Your stop time will fall in between the two closest stops. My rule of thumb for ensuring I don't miss my bus is to be at my stop at the time listed for the previous stop. So, for example, if my stop lies in between the 2nd and 3rd listed stops, I make sure I'm at my bus stop at the time listed for the 2nd stop. Don't forget to check the times coming back, you don't want to wait at the bus stop for an hour! Bus riding involves more planning and patience than hopping in your car to zoom off when you're running behind. The payoff is much more rewarding. It's free to students with college IDs, so you'll automatically save money by choosing the bus.

This summer I also got into the habit of riding my bike around town. I understand biking, more so than riding the bus, is not an available option for everyone. I previously lived in a location that was not suitable for biking. I lived near Jones Franklin, which is a narrow but very busy road. I never rode my bike around in that area, but as soon as I moved to my new place on Oberlin, I made it first on my list of things to do in my new location. Oberlin is a great road for biking because while it can be busy, it's mostly got wide lanes. I also happen to live about 2 miles from many of my favorite places: a grocery store, my favorite coffee shop, movie theater, and pizza place. 2-3 miles is my range limit for how far I am able to bike before collapsing :) Biking on the road with cars was something I was (and still am at times) apprehensive about doing.

The most important thing is to wear a helmet! It is extremely dangerous to ride without a helmet, no matter how uncool you think it may be. Other rules of the road are to always ride with traffic, not against. Think of yourself as another vehicle on the road versus a pedestrian. This also means obeying all traffic signals, signs, and lights. Even if the intersections is clear but the light is red, you must stop. If the light won't change because no cars are around, get off and walk your bike across the intersection. Don't feel like you have to ride on the shoulder, this is not true! If the roads around you do not offer separate bike lanes, then you are entitled to ride in the car lane as well. Use common sense, though; you may not want to take up the middle of the lane on a busy road, since this can annoy the drivers you're sharing the road with. I try to ride close to the shoulder so that cars have room to pass if they choose, but I don't ride in the shoulder.

Technically it isn't legal to ride your bike on the sidewalk, but again use common sense. If you think the road is too busy and the sidewalk isn't teeming with pedestrians, then choose the option that will keep you safe. Just don't make a habit of riding on the sidewalks: the last thing you want is to hit a pedestrian! Some cities are hardcore about keeping cyclists off the sidewalk while others will overlook it.

The other thing is to watch out for the drivers around you, who may become annoyed at cyclists. Part of biking is to educate others. The road is not only for cars! Show drivers that cyclists belong on the road by biking safely. Another thing to keep in mind is to signal when turning. Signal for a left turn by sticking your left arm straight out; signal for a right turn by sticking your left arm up at a 90 degree angle. Using your left arm increases the chance that drivers on either side of the road will see your signal. The final rule is to always have a light and reflectors when biking at night. It is also helpful to wear light clothing. You want to make yourself as visible as possible when biking at night!

Biking is a fun way to get around and get in shape. It is also a growing trend in the area, with activities and groups working to gain recognition for cyclists. A couple of activities that I know of geared towards gaining confidence in biking are the Critical Mass rides every last Friday of each month, around 5PM. They meet at the NCSU Bell Tower. This is an opportunity to ride in a group with other cyclists, and learn the rules of the road. Activities geared more to social gathering are the Bike First Friday events. Every first Friday of each month a large group meets again at the Bell Tower to bike First Friday. Even walking around for First Friday is a great way to meet new people while taking in some great art from local artists. The local art + food scene in Raleigh are two of the best things about living here!

Hopefully this post will inspire you to read up more on the methods of alternative transportation the Triangle has to offer! My final offering is a great resource for all things transportation + trip planning: Go Triangle. Go there to find out how to get nearly anywhere in the Triangle with public transportation.

Angels for the Environment

The Student Activities Fair the first week of classes proved to be successful in attracting new members! Angels for the Environment had record attendance at the first meeting. Some things that were discussed in the first meeting included nominations for the new officers and the upcoming social event—Tie-Dyeing!

A4E is going to hold a tie-dye event where students will bring articles of clothing they want to dye (washed prior to event!), and we will tie-dye for them, along with telling them about the cool stuff in store for Angels for the Environment. It will be a great way to meet other students. We are aiming for Friday, September 18. We are hoping to do this all day, so we need people who want to volunteer! We also need drying racks (for laundry, just the cheap, wooden ones), large tubs (for soaking water), and any tie-dye you may be willing to donate. If you have any of these things and are willing to let us borrow them, please let me know by email!

And finally, the next meeting is scheduled for September 11 at 10am in SMB 260.
Please be sure to drop by and bring a friend!

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #18

Greetings, Beausol locavores:
Today I had the opportunity to work and sweat with a great group of about 30 young folks (and a few "old folks") at an event called the Crop Mob.They have a website:  cropmob.org if you are interested in their story.This is an inspiring group of young people who are farming, working on farms, considering farming, or want to connect to the land.  Most of them are new farmers just starting up or interns/apprentices at  existing farms. 
The Crop Mob, numbering as many as 50, descends upon a farm and performs probably a week's worth of work in about four hours... and then are fed for their efforts.  The idea, in addition to helping  
farmers - new and established - with big projects and for the participants to get exposure to some aspects of agriculture they might not ordinarily be permitted, is to build a community and work towards a better future for us all. 
Today, we hand dug in some buckwheat cover crop on a half dozen beds, added compost and mulched them for some young start-up farmers at the Orange County Breeze Farm Incubator.  They are now set to plant their fall crops much sooner than had they done it alone.Beausol Gardens will host the next Crop Mob at the end of September. Among other things, they will be helping us plant strawberries and garlic.
This week we planted much of our winter crops.... and some were up in four days with the help of about three-quarters inch of rain.  As I write this it is raining again.... maybe the rest of the winter seeds will join them.
The pileated woodpeckers are getting frisky, I think.  One morning a pair played tag around tree after tree while at least one other called from another part of the forest.  The hummingbirds must be fattening  
up for the trek south.  We are seeing them with increasing frequency and they seem to be increasingly territorial about the flower beds. The chickadees are bolder at the bird feeder.
I found a baby box turtle in a flower bed today.  The girls were typically, "Oh, it's so cute."
The peppers are SO happy!  I hope you are as happy that they are happy as I am happy they are happy.  We should have lots of peppers until frost. The eggplants seem to be sulking a bit as are the squash.  The okra is becoming smug about being prolific.  It is time to poke around under the sweet potato vines.  I'll let you know what I find out next week. The cucumbers are starting to fail, despite all our efforts to keep them healthy.... another insult to them is the early arrival of what looks to be pickle worms.  Drat!  I am however, glad to have had what we did get from them this year.
Well it's late, I'm tired from working on TWO farms today, so I'll say good-bye for now. This week's shares should have lots of peppers (of course), eggplant, okra, tomatoes (mostly cherries), basil and other herbs. The bouquets should have combinations of zinnias, asters, gomphrena, ornamental grasses, celosia, golden rod, and maybe a couple of other late summer bloomers. 

See you soon, 
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #18

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

Today I had the opportunity to work and sweat with a great group of about 30 young folks (and a few "old folks") at an event called the Crop Mob. They have a website: cropmob.org if you are interested in their story. This is an inspiring group of young people who are farming, working on farms, considering farming, or want to connect to the land. Most of them are new farmers just starting up or interns/apprentices at existing farms. The Crop Mob, numbering as many as 50, descends upon a farm and performs probably a week's worth of work in about four hours... and then are fed for their efforts. The idea, in addition to helping farmers - new and established - with big projects and for the participants to get exposure to some aspects of agriculture they might not ordinarily be permitted, is to build a community and work towards a better future for us all.

Today, we hand dug in some buckwheat cover crop on a half dozen beds, added compost and mulched them for some young start-up farmers at the Orange County Breeze Farm Incubator. They are now set to plant their fall crops much sooner than had they done it alone. Beausol Gardens will host the next Crop Mob at the end of September. Among other things, they will be helping us plant strawberries and garlic.

This week we planted much of our winter crops.... and some were up in four days with the help of about three-quarters inch of rain. As I write this it is raining again.... maybe the rest of the winter seeds will join them. The pileated woodpeckers are getting frisky, I think. One morning a pair played tag around tree after tree while at least one other called from another part of the forest. The hummingbirds must be fattening up for the trek south. We are seeing them with increasing frequency and they seem to be increasingly territorial about the flower beds. The chickadees are bolder at the bird feeder. I found a baby box turtle in a flower bed today. The girls were typically, "Oh, it's so cute."

The peppers are SO happy! I hope you are as happy that they are happy as I am happy they are happy. We should have lots of peppers until frost. The eggplants seem to be sulking a bit as are the squash. The okra is becoming smug about being prolific. It is time to poke around under the sweet potato vines. I'll let you know what I find out next week. The cucumbers are starting to fail, despite all our efforts to keep them healthy.... another insult to them is the early arrival of what looks to be pickle worms. Drat! I am however, glad to have had what we did get from them this year.

Well it's late, I'm tired from working on TWO farms today, so I'll say good-bye for now. This week's shares should have lots of peppers (of course), eggplant, okra, tomatoes (mostly cherries), basil and other herbs. The bouquets should have combinations of zinnias, asters, gomphrena, ornamental grasses, celosia, golden rod, and maybe a couple of other late summer bloomers.

See you soon,

Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #17

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

Fall must be lurking in the woods. I have seen another monarch butterfly and the tulip poplars are starting to release their yellowing leaves. Now, a single butterfly does not a season change make, but that winged messenger and the leaves falling - especially since it has not been particularly dry this summer... at least not here at Beausol Gardens - does have harbinger qualities. Add in the winter squash starting to ripen, fewer lightning bugs over the fields at dusk, and the turkeys I think I hear and we may be able to discern a trend.

Yesterday, a set of gullywashers passed over. Through the afternoon, in three relatively short heavy downpours, we received more than 2.5 inches of rain. The fields were fairly thirsty as I saw very little runoff and no standing puddles this morning. We have, actually, been doing some irrigating recently.

I hope you enjoyed the cucurbits (cucumbers, melons and winter and summer squash) last week . I hope the melons were okay... as I mentioned last week I am having a hard time this year determining when they are ripe.

I have to say this is one of my favorite times: pepper harvest! I REALLY like ripe sweet peppers. I recommend you collect, as you probably did with the summer squash, many recipes with sweet pepper ingredients - we'll have lots of peppers till frost... LOTS of peppers. We harvested about 250 pounds on Friday alone. The okra is coming in heavier now, so I think we can start passing some okra on to the half shares.

There's not much further inspiration this week, so we'll leave it at that for now. This week's shares will contain peppers, peppers and peppers, eggplant, okra, cherry tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, summer and winter squash and herbs. This week's bouquets will have zinnias, glads, tuberoses, gomphrena, celosia, and ornamental grasses.

See you soon.
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #16

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

Summer progresses. The rain is erratic, the heat is not. It appears we did suffer some, but not much crop damage with the few 100+ degree days last week. Many of the main season crops are beginning to fade as the heat and humidity work their devilry. Many of the main season crops are hitting their stride as the heat and humidity work their blessings. The huge deluge of squash is pretty much over. The huge deluge of tomatoes never really happened, except thankfully for the wonderful cherry tomatoes. The huge deluge of peppers is just beginning.

We have begun harvesting melons. Yeehah! Though, for some reason I am having a hard time determining if they are ripe enough to harvest. I hope I am choosing correctly far more often than not. Winter squash is not far behind the melons. The third planting of squash should be ready this week... or next. There are baby squash on the vines and I hope they will find welcome in your kitchen... especially after their siblings made such a nuisance of themselves.

The second planting of tomatoes is still healthy and beginning to ripen. The cucumbers are amazing. I am delighted we have managed to have enough for everyone to have had some and that they are still producing in spite of being badly infected with downy mildew.

The grasshoppers are becoming more of a problem. It appears they were just waiting in the wings until the Japanese beetles left the stage. The cicadas still sing at dusk and the night is full of all sorts of noise I am insufficiently educated to identify. The buckwheat cover crop is blooming and covered in honeybees as intended. The crape myrtles are covered in many species of little wasps and bees - during the day the trees emit a multifrequency hum that is wonderful to work under.

The goldfinches and bats can give military pilots a lesson in high- gravity maneuvering.... I saw a goldfinch do an incredible "Z" dive maneuver that ended in a perfect landing in the blink of an eye. The hummingbirds are more frequent visitors to the flowers around the farm, especially the salvia just outside the window. The doves are still hunting for un-threshed grain in the straw mulch. And a new call has returned to the surrounding woods that I suspect belongs to turkeys. Not the stereotypical "gobble - gobble" but a rising brief "kyuk."

One order of business I would like to do this week is a brief survey, if you would not mind. It's time to start thinking about winter production (I know it seems too darn hot to think about winter vegetables, but believe it or not, it is time to get them started.) I think last year's pilot winter CSA went pretty well, I hope those that participated also think so. So we are considering doing it again on a bigger scale: longer season, more members and more variety.

If you are interested in the winter CSA, please let us know:

1) that you are interested in participating.... I am currently considering a 12 week season (Nov., Dec., Jan.) this year. There will only be one share size; the price will probably be $150. Same delivery places, days and times, except there will be no home delivery.


One complication is the Winter CSA has three major holidays smack in the middle. I would like to know your thoughts on delivery options for the winter holidays. We know that many people travel during these times. We also know that many have family and friends over for elaborate traditional feasts that would benefit from fresh produce. So...

2a) for our Chapel Hill/Carrboro members: Thanksgiving Day obviously is always on Thursday and we will also obviously not deliver on that day so would you rather have a delivery on Wednesday (the day before) OR have a double share delivery the prior Thursday (the 19th) OR just skip Thanksgiving week and extend the season?
2b) for our Raleigh members: would you rather have a regular delivery on Tuesday OR a double share delivery the previous Tuesday OR just skip that week?

Christmas and New Year's Day both fall on Friday this year. I don't think a delivery on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve will work for anyone, so:

3)
i) Would it be preferable to just skip the week of Christmas and the week after Christmas? OR
ii) Would it be preferable to do a double share delivery the week before the week of Christmas (which would be the 15th and 17th)?

[Another option is for those that want it, we could harvest and have shares for pick-up at the farm the weekend before each Holiday. There are certainly other options, please give us your ideas. ]

So back to the present:
This week the shares will contain lots of peppers again and eggplant, cherry tomatoes, green onions, garlic, melons, cucumbers (I hope) and herbs.

The flower bouquets will have gladiolus, celosia, zinnias, gomphrena, ornamental grasses, etc.

See you soon,
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #15

Greetings Beausol locavores:

I'll be brief again this week. My location in the fourth dimension seems to be nebulous.


I looks like we are in for it now! At least one one-hundred-degree day is upon us, they predict. It came close yesterday, I have not checked the min-max thermometer but it was hot. When the mercury expands that much, there is danger that nightshades loose their fruit - the fruits cook on the vine and their flowers drop. The biggest danger is with the tomatoes. Hopefully, the temperature will not remain so high for so long that our second tomato planting does not suffer.
The first tomato planting is nearly kaput. Here in the Southeast, more than six weeks of production from a tomato plant is extraordinary. There are so many ubiquitous indigenous diseases of tomatoes it is a wonder we get any crop at all.


As planned, the second planting, though not as large, is beginning to ripen. A fungal disease called late blight has been a big problem all across the eastern US this year. There are news stories about the disease in the Northeast and Midwest. The disease that brought so many Irish to America a century and a half ago caused a little damage to our crop - not bad. But our tomatoes are succumbing to early blight, I think. The cucurbits, as mentioned in a previous newsletter are being hard hit by downy mildew. It's a tough year to be a Solanaceae or Cucurbitaceae family member.


It appears we were blessed (and maybe cursed?) with more rain in the last month than most folks, from speaking with CSA members and other farmers. The rain was good for the plants and diseases. As mentioned above, the first tomatoes are about done. So are the squash - though this may be GOOD news for some of you. We did make another planting of summer squash, so hopefully by the time that is ready to harvest, you will have overcome your saturation of the stuff. We made another planting of snap beans and edamame, though they did not come up as well as hoped.


Some good news: the melons are beginning to ripen - even as the vines begin to die. And the winter squash are of a harvestable size. We just need to let them ripen. The eggplants are chugging along nicely. And the okra have now gotten their stride and need to be picked every day. The peppers are all doing well also.


More good news is the birds and bees are doing very this summer. Lots of hummers have joined the goldfinches, bluebirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, etc. The Japanese beetles have, thankfully, nearly finished their annual invasion. But the grasshoppers have followed in their wake.


It's time to start planting fall crops: lettuce, greens, roots, etc.


Since my beautiful bride, Deb, is in Ohio visiting family with her youngest offspring and one of our employees is on vacation to be with his family, "us chickens" left to "hold the fort" will be a little busy.


This week the shares will have cherry tomatoes, sweet, Anaheim, and jalapeño peppers, green onions, eggplant, okra, melons (cantaloup or muskmelons - I can't tell the difference), cucumbers and herbs (basil, oregano, dill).The bouquets will have gladioli, zinnias, celosia, gomphrena, asters, grasses and sunflowers.

See you soon. Stay cool.
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #14

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

Wow! Where have I been? Now that I am back on the planet, I better quick bring you up to date as to why this email is so late (for which I apologize - all is well, no worries) and get back to work! Our routine experienced (and is experiencing) some disruptions: my beautiful bride, Deb, helped produce another beautiful bride (and handsome groom) this weekend! She officiated the wedding of one of our employees, Brian, and his new wife Danielle. Then we hosted a potluck for neighbors and friends. And we are preparing for the arrival of my youngest beautiful step- daughter and return of her beautiful sister. The former will be joining us for three years of high school and the latter is returning for her last year of high school.

Things should return to "normal".... eventually?

Oh, and we have been very busy in the fields. Farming-wise, we have been a "man down" for a week as Brian was off preparing for and recovering from his nuptials. Mike and I have been busily harvesting, pretty much non-stop: squash, eggplant, peppers, BEANS (Yeah!), okra, tomatoes.... You may be happy to hear that the squash crop is slowing down.

We have been receiving anywhere from a tenth to a half inch of rain EVERY day for the last week. Some crops are loving it, some crops have found the humidity perfect for disease to flourish. The cucurbits are suffering the most with both powdery and downy mildew. The cucumbers are taking it worst. The good news in the cucurbit arena is the melons (cantaloup and muskmelon) are nearing ripeness and the winter squash (spaghetti, butternut, delicata and pumpkins) are sizing up and should begin ripening in a short while in spite of the disease attack. The sweet potato vines are out-competing the weeds, thankfully. Since we got the sweet potatoes in on time I am feeling confident that we will have sweet potatoes for you around Labor Day. Our last planting of summer lettuce is doing very nicely with all the rain. I think we will harvest that for you next week. And the second planting of tomatoes is about to begin ripening... just in time - as the first crop is succumbing to various blights.

Well, that's enough for now, I better get out there and start putting shares together for the Raleighites.

This week the shares will have tomatoes, eggplant, squash, peppers (sweet, Anaheim, and jalapeño), green and yellow snap beans (!), green onions, garlic, okra and herbs (dill, oregano and basil). The flower bouquets will have zinnias, celosia, gomphrena, gladiolas, sunflowers and maybe a couple others. Tuberoses are right around the corner.

See you soon.
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #13

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

The newsletter will be fairly brief this week (that probably elicits some relief as well as disappointment?). Deb and I just returned from a quick drive to the Boone, NC area for an herb conference. It was a mixed experience: partly too scientifically detailed and thus irrelevant to why we went (to learn more about growing and using medicinal herbs), partly insufficiently detailed in the aforementioned information and very useful in exposing the possibilities thereof. It did very much whet our appetite to further investigate the subject. The dogs were definitely happy to have us home: Maya is making it hard to write this as she is demanding so much undivided attention! What a lovable pest!

The farm is in a generally very good condition due to about an inch and a half of rain received over the last week, coming in very manageable and beneficial half inch increments. (of course, the weeds have enjoyed the moisture also!) We got back too late to double check the status of the crops, but Friday before we left, things were looking good:

Lots of tomatoes ripening, more peppers ripening, more eggplants, more squash, squash, squash. I think we can get another week of edamame for you, then we must wait for the next planting to mature. There is definite abundant evidence of the elusive okra flowers, finally. So okra (pods, not flowers) will start appearing in shares. Cantaloupes are sizing up nicely, I
think they may start appearing in shares next week. The snap beans are also displaying baby beans, so we could get some this week - definitely next week. The summer green onion planting is doing well, we may pull some this week or next. And the summer lettuce is doing very nicely... the rain is really helping - the heat, not so much.

The Triangle area cucumber crops have been hit hard by downy mildew this summer. Our plants were looking pretty sad and very much at risk when we left. Late last week we treated them successively with organically approved hydrogen peroxide and a fungicidal bacterium.
Coming in this afternoon, it looked like we MAY have saved our cukes.... or at least delayed their demise. One of my first tasks will be to ascertain their condition on the morrow.... here's hoping.

We have gotten many positive reports on the potatoes. I hope you all are enjoying them. Keep them in a cool dark place until eaten. Unlike sweet potatoes - the cooler the better with the "irish", but not freezing.

That's about it for my information overloaded and road addled brain tonight.

This week's shares should contain... yes, you guessed it: squash. And tomatoes, eggplant, peppers (sweet, Anaheim and jalapeño), edamame, herbs and the full shares will get some okra and maybe some snap beans. The flower shares should have a combination of zinnias, celosia, gomphrena, ornamental grasses, gladiolas, basil and the echinacea may still have a few blooms on them.

See you soon.
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #12

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

Well, we are half-way through the season. I hope you have enjoyed the produce so far. There is much more in the fields and headed towards your tables.

Last week you received half of your total share of the potato harvest. This week you will receive the second half.... so ration them for a bit. Last week, you received Rose Gold, All Blue, and Carola. (I promised Butte instead of the Carola, but realized too late I was filling the shares with the wrong variety. Doesn't matter... They are similar, but the Carola is a more productive substitute for the popular Yukon Gold potato.) Too bad the harvest was late this year, otherwise you could have had a patriotic "red, white and blue" picnic for Independence Day.

Carola is a yellow skin, yellow flesh potato developed in Germany good for baking and frying.

Butte (pronounced like the geological formation) is high in Vitamin C and protein. Great baked, mashed, or fried. A nice russet potato. Red Cloud is a dark red skin and white flesh potato. It is very dry and delicious baked or boiled. Russian Banana Fingerling (one of our favorites - we like to cut them into pieces about 3/4 to 1 inch long and bake/"oven-fry" them, coated with a little olive oil) long and narrow, yellow skin and flesh tubers are exquisite baked, boiled, or in salads. This heirloom gourmet variety was probably first brought here by early Russian settlers.

We caught a total of about an inch of rain this week. Just about right. The crops really responded to the natural watering. (Of course, well water is natural also, but nothing beats rain!)

We put in another batch of summer lettuce. It should be ready about mid August. We also started another batch of dill, cilantro, squash and beans.

The edamame is finally ready to pick and the snap beans are starting to bloom. The eggplant is beginning to ripen as is the okra. The really weird thing about the okra is: I haven't seen a single
flower! It seems to be jumping straight from bud to fruit. There are Anaheim peppers (used in making chile rellenos) ready to pick also.

As you may have noticed last week, the tomatoes are also ripening in increasing numbers... finally! There is not much else to report... except we will have lots more summer squash for you again this week also.

So the shares will contain potatoes, squash, tomatoes, mild jalapenos, Anaheim peppers, edamame, basil and herbs ( the full shares should get eggplant, cucumbers and okra - I think in a week or two everyone will be getting all three). The flower bouquets will contain zinnias, gomphrena, ornamental grasses, gladiolas, and celosia.

See you soon.
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #10

Greetings, Beausol locavores:


I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe Independence Day.I again need to remind you to return the share bags to us each week. Thank you.

It does not take much to make a "drought." We have been irrigating, nearly every day, trying to maintain some moisture in the soil for the plants... seems to be a never-ending futility at times. Mulch helps so much. I was surprised to awaken to heavy clouds and very light rain yesterday (Sunday). It rained off and on all morning and into the early afternoon and the rain gauge finally contained about one-hundredth inch... hardly worth the effort. The radar sure looked promising to start the day... ah, well...

We learned this week how very important water can be to our existence - not jsut the plants' - and how we are totally dependent on it: our well pump failed this past week. It chose a time when we had many participants in our lives: my mother-in-law and Deb's nephew were here for the day and Mike and Brian were here as usual. And the heat and work demanding drinking large volumes of water didn't help. Luckily, none of our offspring were in residence, again being scattered to the far corners of the country.There was nothing for drinking except what milk, juice and water were in the refrigerator. No cooking allowed, except what did not require water. No washing of anything. No flushing of commodes. Quite an adventure.

We have a generator for times of hurricanes and ice storms when the electricity might fail, but that was obviously of no use. I guess twelve years was enough for the pump to do its faithful service (though not nearly long enough for my liking): working so very hard to provide us and your crops with much needed precious water. We were very lucky to find a plumber to come out in a short time and stay a long time to finish the job in one long day. Thank you, Jackie!!
So now I am thinking about alternative ways to hold and acquire water.... like a large rainwater cistern or a hand pump for the well.


Summer progresses. All the summer crops are doing well. Now that we have figured out that the tomatoes were not getting their full ration of water and remedied the situation, they should pick up ripening and we should be getting more in the shares. There are summer squash ripening on the second planting. I think you will soon have LOTS (hopefully not too much) of squash to try lots of new recipes.

The edamame have beans on them and they have started filling out. I am thinking we will have edamame next week. There is a large field of soybeans down the road from us. Every time I drive by it I see deer grazing it. This weekend we were out running errands and passed a small field of soybeans that has been totally eaten down to 3 inch stubs. Deer LOVE soybeans - about as much as they love sweet potato vines, azaleas and tulips. We are duly chastened to keep our fencing in good repair!!The cantaloupe vines are blooming. How long can my patience hold?I think I see a little color on a few peppers. WIshful thinking and self delusion? I hope not. But there ARE jalapeno peppers ready for picking!


The potato vines are about finished their dieback. We are planning "the big potato harvest" this coming Sunday, the 12th. If you are available to help out with the harvest, please let us know. You are very welcome to join us Sunday afternoon about 2PM.
Directions to the farm are at http://beausol.com/contact.html


The bird activity is maintaining its high level: the red-headed woodpeckers are feasting on the chokecherries, wrens sing outside our windows, goldfinches are eating and scattering seeds between brilliant yellow flashes across the gardens, bluebirds are hunting the fields with other birds, I have noticed indigo buntings now and I have heard peewees and bluejays. I seldom hear or see bluejays out here. I have come to consider jays and robins as urban creatures, like pigeons. The more polite and soothing cooing doves stand-in for their feathered-rat brethren in this wild frontier.


The last couple of weeks have brought the cicadas out. I hear them at dusk each evening. Their song vividly brings me back to my childhood. Here I repeat "my cicada story" from last year for you CSA newcomers.


This week summer has continued to intensify its presence: I have started hearing the sustained

"rrrrreEEEEEEErrrrreeeeeeEEEEErrrrreeeeeeEEEEErrrr" of the cicadas at dusk. It reminds me of my childhood in New Orleans. When I was about 6 or 7, I think, my Dad would take me out to City Park at dusk and we would search, with a flashlight, the huge live oak tree trunks for the brown crisp cicada nymphs about to "molt." They had crawled out of the ground and up those trees to begin the last step of their life cycle after years of subterranean existence. We would find several and take a couple back home in a carrying cage my Dad had made by cutting many little diamond shaped holes in a small paper bag. At home we would put them on the bottom of our curtains and turn out the lights as we watched television (yes, there was television - black and white only - in the previous century). We would check their progress at the eagerly awaited commercial breaks: they would ever so slowly crawl up the curtain and at some appropriate time, known only to them, their "shell" would crack and ever so slowly, the adult would push its way out of the little slit on the back of the thorax of the old exoskeleton. When it was completely out of the shell, the cicada would cling to it and, again ever so slowly, unfurl its wings and let them dry. When the "metamorphosis" (which technically it was not - that had happened underground, in the old exoskeleton) was complete, we would put the new adult cicada back in the paper bag cage and carry it outside to free it so we could here it sing each subsequent dusk.


The very first year we had moved out to the farm, we heard this huge incredible noise that seemed to come from everywhere, but mostly fromthe east. The thing it sounded like most to me was a huge hovering mother ship (as if I knew what a huge hovering mother ship soundslike). The family hopped into the car in search of the source of the pervasive sound. The very first people we encountered, a mile down the road, informed us we were hearing the song of the periodic locust (cicada! which indeed IS NOT a locust). We had happened to move out to Chatham County at one of the extreme peaks of the 13 (or 17) year species broods. Once so enlightened, I noticed that the sound was directional: it was louder where the forest was closer or denser. It was so wonderfully awesome - and LOUD! About a week later I began noticing the sound had diminished significantly and the ground under the trees was littered with dead cicadas and also noticed bushes and tree trunks were covered with empty cicada shells. We were so lucky to have experienced the phenomenon of a major brood emergence.


That means we may experience the "return of the cicada mother ship" next year?


That's about it for now.


This week the shares will have some combination of potatoes, squash, lettuce, tomatoes,jalapenos, onions, garlic, basil, and herbs (probably oregano and rosemary).
The bouquets will have a mix of gladiolas, dianthus, echinacea, yarrow, ornamental grasses,peruvian daffodils, zinnias and others.


See you soon,
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #9

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

Quick: when I say "Summer," you say...... "Tomatoes!"

While tending to the fields this week, I noticed a red globe hiding amongst the tomato vines. Upon further investigation I found more and more, A couple of weeks earlier than "normal," but about on time for the last couple of years. HU-rray!! And for those who may have responded "Cucumbers," I found a couple of those nestled in their part of the field, too! And both just in time... The summer solstice announces the changing of the seasons - from the season of brassica (kale, turnips, broccoli, cabbage) to the season of solanacae (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes) and cucurbitae (squash, melons, cukes).

We're harvesting the last of, and tilling under, spring crops and beginning to harvest, and planting more, summer crops. And we're starting seeds for fall crops already. This week we weeded and harvested and weeded and harvested and weeded... With many thanks to Holli and Katy. Busy, busy, busy.

The potatoes continue their decline. I think we will do our big harvest in two weeks, Sunday July 12. It's a later than usual, but we should have a great crop. I am hoping that we can borrow a tractor- mounted potato digger so all we will have to do is pick the spuds off the soil surface and not resort to days of shovel work. If you are interested in helping with the potato harvest let me know; I'll reserve a row for you.

The edamame have little baby pods now, so we should be getting some edible soybeans next week.

I have identified the fellow making all the racket in the woods. One of our beautiful pileated woodpeckers is the Buddy Rich wanna-be. One day this week I was positioned perfectly in the field to spot him high in the tree I suspected of being the primal instrument. He was eyeing it for the perfect place to produce the perfect timbre (pun intended) then drumming his tambour for our listening pleasure. The goldfinches are enjoying the seeds of the flowers we failed to cut. The cowbirds and doves tried to steal our buckwheat seed (for our summer cover crop while we wait impatiently for the proper time to succession plant more veggies for you).

The praying mantises are growing up, the eating must be good. The Japanese beetles are much too healthy also. As dry as it has been the last couple of weeks the mosquitoes must be finding water for breeding somewhere because they love Deb's legs... who could blame them. (For you feminists, I write this with Deb's approval.)

Our flower growing endeavors are much to the liking of many flying and fluttering creatures: hummingbirds, bees, wasps (the little good predatory kind) and butterflies all are enjoying the flowers - in different ways - as much as you are, I hope.

This week it looks like the greens are all done for the time being. We will pull all the carrots for you this week. They did not turn out as I had hoped. While they are tasty, they are not very big. Our companion planting experiment, while not a total success was educational nonetheless: We know not to do that specific arrangement again! Next year it'll be alternating beds.

So this week we will hand dig enough potatoes for everyone, divide up the carrots and throw in the last of the cabbage and broccoli. These will join a tasting of tomatoes (probably just the full shares this week) squash, garlic, onions and herbs. This week I am looking at cilantro, thyme and lemon basil for you. I made a pretty tasty (if I do say so, myself) pesto with cinnamon basil. Deb reports the lemon basil is too lemony for pesto, so pull out your recipes calling for lemon grass, lemon peel or lemon extract for substitutions.... hmmm... a lemon basil pound cake?

The flowers, if we can get them away from the birds and bugs, will be combinations of stunning ornamental millet, gladiolas, echinacea, dianthus, daisies, phlox, gooseneck loosestrife, yarrow, zinnias, gomphrena, "Frosted Explosion" grass and scabiosa.

See you soon.
Harry

Beausol Gardens 2009 CSA newsletter #7

Greetings, Beausol locavores:

First let me make a logistical plea to those who receive your shares pre-packaged in the recycled bags: please be sure to return your bags this week. We also will very much appreciate it if you could wipe out the bags before returning them. Thank you.

The farm is transforming as the season progresses - both quickly and slowly. The wrens in the barn breezeway have fledged.... at least I assume and hope so. Today they were all gone and Friday they were in the nest, packed in tight, huddled together looking mostly like real birds instead of the weird little wobbly mostly-mouth creatures they have been. The goldfinches seem to be quite randy these days: we watched four bright males streaking around the field in hot pursuit of a single female. It makes sense that their mating season is later since they are seed eaters and need to wait for the seeds to be available to raise young. I think I cannot decide if the bluebirds, goldfinches, cardinals or red-headed woodpeckers are my favorite birds to see. I
very much enjoy the flash of bright colors of each. I cannot tell how the phoebes are doing but the parents are still returning to the nest then swooping out to hunt again. The crows are
getting a little bolder hunting the fields. I can't tell what they are hunting.... hopefully not our seedlings. Some woodpecker has found the perfect tree in the pine woods south of the fileds to rap its territorial announcement. All day it seems to be filling the whole county with drumming.

Japanese beetles are increasing in numbers and damage caused. This week I went to get the flame weeder out and the propane tank was covered in little baby praying mantises. The lightening bugs are putting on a wonderful show each evening. I seldom see honeybees in the perennial flower beds, but Deb reports there are many there competing with the bumble bees. I see the honeybees mostly working the clover around the farm, but today, when I went to check on the summer squash, it sounded like a hive in swarm mode with all the honeybees working the squash flowers.... it reminds me of when the bees were working the crimson clover earlier this spring. I think it is time (probably past time) to check the honey stocks of our hives.

And the squirrels are often complaining about something... probably our or the neighbors' cat prowling the woods.

The flowers are rioting out here!! Gladioli have burst forth. The Sweet Williams (Dianthus) are shouting for attention. Statice and zinnias are blooming. Cone flowers (Echinacea), bee balm and daisies are ecstatic. The satin flowers (Godetia) exploded and will soon be done. They are lovely delicate flowers which only bloom during a short period only a little longer than Saponaria. And they are on the top of favorite foods list of Japanese beetles.

The summer squash are starting to produce! I hope there will be enough for at least the full shares to have a taste this week. And the Sungold cherry tomatoes are starting to straggle in! Summer is nearly here. The broccoli is maturing in larger quantities and the cabbage is getting larger and firmer.

I hope you enjoyed the beets last week. There will be lots more this week. They are so sweet, even Deb conceded they were tolerable. (I loved them: both boiled and roasted.)
As perverse as it may sound, the GOOD news is the potato vines are starting to die. We will begin harvesting them when they are have finished withering... maybe in a couple of weeks. And the sweet potato slips must be putting out good roots, since they are no longer wilting In a short while the vines should start running. We planted lots of winter squashes and watermelons this past week... late, but not too late.

The companion planting experiment is yielding mixed results this far. The peas were tolerant, if not pleased, to have turnips sharing theirfoot space. We definitely had a good crop of peas, I wish there had been more. But the turnips were down right indignant about the
proposition... they never did fill out their roots, though some of the greens were reasonable size, but buggy. A rather big disappointment. The lettuces were very happy to have shared their beds with carrots, but the carrots seem nonchalant about the arranged relationship. In a couple of weeks I think we will begin eating carrots... then we will see how they responded to the crowded conditions. I fear the lettuce shaded the carrots too much, which is why the carrots are late. The beets seem delighted to be nestled in under the broccoli, and the broccoli, in turn, are ecstatic with the responsibility of sheltering the beets and growing very big strong leaves! I think this is the best companion experiment this year. I hope the broccoli heads are equally healthy. We'll find out soon.

This week we will continue our deluge of greens, minus the lettuce. It is done for a while.

The shares will contain Swiss chard, kale, garlic, onions, beets, basil, other herbs. Maybe cabbage and/or broccoli. The full shares should hopefully have a taste of summer squash and a taste of sungold tomatoes. The bouquets will have combinations of statice, Dianthus, snapdragons, ornamental grasses, zinnias, Rudbekias, Echinaceas, sunflowers, gladioli, daisies, godetia, yarrow, and probably others - things are happening so quickly.

See you all soon.
HArry and Deb

Public Location of Reycling Bins at Meredith

Belk Dining Hall
- Paper on Faircloth side and Platic and Aluminum on Stringfield side
- Downstairs is one set of 3*
Noel House
- One set of 3*
Noel Annex
- One set of 3*
Carol
- One set of 4** downstairs
- One set of 3* upstairs
Martin
- One set of 3* on all floors
Witherspoon Annex
- One set of 3*
Witherspoon:
- Two sets of 3*
Joyner
- One set of 3* on all floors
Harris
- One set of 3* on all floors
Cate
- 2 paper, 1 plastic, 1 aluminum, and 1 glass downstairs
- One set of 4** upstairs
SMB
- Three sets of 3* downstairs
- Two sets of 3* upstairs
Ledford
- One set of 3* on all floors
Alumni House
- Paper bin
Jones Chapel
- One set of 3*
Johnson Hall
- One set of 3* on all floors
Wainwright
- One set of 3* on all floors

* paper, plastic, and aluminum
** paper, plasitc, aluminum, and glass

Obama Cuts $100 Million from Hydgrogen Funds

Development of new hydrogen technologies might be at a halt due to economic troubles. Obama’s administration has cut $100 million from the hydrogen fuel cell program for 2010. However that does not mean no money was given, the budget was just trimmed like many Americans have had to do. Instead of $168 million received last year for the hydrogen fuel cell research in 2009, it has been nipped to only $68 million. This is not the first time hydrogen research has had to step aside for the government, in 2008 the Bush administration also canceled the FutureGen power plant that would have generated hydrogen and eliminate carbon dioxide emissions. Dramatic cut but what do we do from here and what can we accomplish with this?

photo cortesy www.digitaltokyo.com

It is predicted that the idea of having hydrogen cars as the choice of vehicle is out of the way for the next 10 to 20 years. The prototype cars have been proven too expensive and the fund is only enough to assist in research of hydrogen cells dealt with devices to use within buildings. The scale has changed but many buildings and homes use fuel cells today.

Besides the budget cut, the infrastructure of the hydrogen fuel research has been lacking and had a weak foundation to start with. Steven Chu, Obama’s energy secretary mentioned that the product of hydrogen fueled cars are decades away , right now we must concentrate on research that will give us immediate energy saving results. So maybe the budget cut isn’t such a bad idea or is it just delaying further advancement by too much? In the end, we need a reality check. The U.S. is in debt; we do not have the money to produce these cars. They are not a dream, they will happen, just not at the moment. The economy needs money to “refuel” itself and by developing technologies that could save you energy tomorrow we might be headed in just the right direction.



Sources:

R.I.P. hydrogen economy? Obama cuts hydrogen car funding By: David Biello

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/obama-hydrogen-cars.php

The Raleigh Health & Wellness Expo 2009

What: The Raleigh Healthy & Wellness Expo

When: May 30-31, 10am - 5pm

Where: Jim Graham Building at North Carolina State Fairgrounds

FREE Admission!

Have nothing going on this weekend? Well how about going to something that’s educational, fun, and good for you! The Raleigh Health & Wellness Expo will be held May 30^th and 31^st, 2009 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. It is hosted by Network Events, Inc. (NEI) and Clear Channel Radio Raleigh and this is said to be the largest Health and Fitness Expo held in North Carolina! There will be activities and events for every age so whether you go alone, with a friend, or with your family you are guaranteed to have FUN. The thought of being healthy should not be a dream. You can go and find out what exactly what you need to do to reach your goals, it is never too late. You can find products, play interactive sports, dance, and even get a health screening done all in one day. The best part is this is all FREE. So how can you pass up an opportunity like this? See you there!

For more information click HERE

Green Living Notes (by Carrie Stinchcomb - Sustainability Intern)

Green Living Notes

· The first step in preventing the disaster of global warming is to recognize the importance of our natural systems
· The Environmental Protection Agency say that American’s disgard 220 million tons of garbage per year
· Parents can easily instill in their children green living by not going to town every weekend to buy what they saw on tv or even watching tv all the time. Instead they could take the time to teach their children the Golden Rule or build a hut in the back yard
· “Our choices truly have the potential to change the fabric of our lives.”
· Pondering question: “By this action what will be affect on other creatures?”

Clean Air
· Coal-fired and other fossil fuel plants are responsible for more than 1/3 of the nation’s emissions that cause global warming.
· British Journal of Obstetrics and Genology
o Correlation between pregnant mothers’ exposure to low levels of air pollution and premature births
· National Center for Health Statistics
o 7 million children have asthma
o The soot particles emitted from power plants can cause asthma, lung cancer, and heart attacks
Clean Water
· Human require at least 8 glasses a day
· 1.2 billion people in the world do not have adequate water and 2.4 billion lack proper sanitation
· Inadequate water is the cause of death for more than 5,500 children/day
· Threats to water quality
o Industrial
o Agricultural
o Pharmaceutical contamination
o Wastewater issues
o Degrading pipes

One staff member's synthesis of sustainability:

Sustainability: Maintenance and support of renewable resources

Notes: sus.tain (s?-sta-n')

tr.v. sus.tained, sus.tain.ing, sus.tains

To keep in existence; maintain.
To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for.
To support from below; keep from falling or sinking; prop.
To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage.
To bear up under; withstand: can't sustain the blistering heat.
To experience or suffer: sustained a fatal injury.
To affirm the validity of: The judge has sustained the prosecutor's objection.
To prove or corroborate; confirm.
To keep up (a joke or assumed role, for example) competently.

[Middle English sustenen, from Old French sustenir, from Latin sustine-re : sub-, from below; see sub- + tene-re, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.] sus.tain'a.bil'i.ty n.,

sus.tain'a.ble adj., sus.tain'er n., sus.tain'ment n.

sus.tain.a.ble (s?-sta-'n?-b?l)> adj.
Capable of being sustained.
Capable of being continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment: sustainable agriculture.> sus.tain'a.bil'i.ty n.

The American HeritageR Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright C 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Green Speak of the Week

"EPA's political boss sacrificed the lives of 5 to 10,000 Americans each year, who will now die from air pollution related strokes and heart and lung dissease."
~John Walke, Natural ResourcesDefense Council

Tips for everyone

1. Instead of buying those top-designer, wallet emptying clothes, try buying the eco-friendly clothing make with recycled materials
2. Before going shopping try asking yourself these questions: What colors work best for me? What will I wear it with? And will I still wear it in two years? By realizing the answers to these, one will be able to save time and the cluster of a normal closet. Know exactly what you want before you go looking for it.
3. When going on dates, enjoy the outdoors as part of it. Go skiing, snowboarding, or jogging together. You might also plan a picnic to a place where you can walk.
4. In love and it’s the holiday’s? Give a homemade gift. If you’re musical write a song. If you’re artistic, paint a picture.
5. Save trips out by completing all your errands in one round. Also try seeing if a neighbor needs anything while you are out and have them do their errands along with yours.
6. When giving a gift, enclose notes on how to recycle the gift when it is no longer wanted by the recipient.
7. Clean windows with vinegar. It will save you money and the need to stock extra chemicals. Get a jump on green spring cleaning.
8. Get green dreams. Sleep easier with natural bedding made from 100% cotton.
9. Green your coffee: Select organic coffee and be aware of your coffee was processed at. Try locally made coffees.

JUST DO ONE Video Contest

from justdoone.org

VIDEO CONTEST

We're on a worldwide quest for the best short video articulating personal-action solutions for a better planet.

For inspiration and ideas on video content, take a look at our Fact Library or Get Inspired with sustainable living tips from the Just Do One community.

http://www.justdoone.org/videocontest