Bee Friendly

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

Bees love this purple columbine

I confess that until the last year or two, I totally took bees for granted. I enjoyed watching them on my herb plants, but other than that, I didn’t give them a second thought. But it’s time for me to start paying attention. Bees are in the news lately, with the problem of colony collapse disorder. Since we rely on bees to pollinate an amazing 40% of our food, anything that affects bees affects us as well. And it’s a problem that we can all do something about, in our own small way.

If you have any interest in bees at all–or in food for that matter–”Queen of the Sun” is an excellent documentary. It discusses many of the problems that are facing our bee population now, and also features the visionary people who are working to solve the problem. The most amazing part of the documentary to me was the segment on almond trees. An incredible three-quarters of the bees in the country have to be shipped to the central valley of California in February to pollinate the almond trees. And why do they have to send bees to California for just two weeks? Well, bees can’t survive there year-round–after the 600,000 almond trees quit blossoming, there’s nothing left for them. Instead of a diverse environment with many plants, the central valley is a monoculture of almond trees. The very definition of an unsustainable system.

Herb flowers are bee-friendly

Getting informed on the issue is the first step to saving bees. And the next step is planting some bee-attracting plants. I also recently read that it’s a good idea to leave some dandelions or other weeds that flower early in the ground to give bees some year-round flowers–an excuse to not weed! So we can counter monocultures in a small way by promoting diversity in our own yards. And another important step–quit using pesticides on our lawns. We think of pesticides as something used by farmers, and unfortunately they are, but “crops” of suburban grass also use copious amounts of pesticides. Those pesticides don’t spare beneficial insects like bees. Enough said.

So take the pesticides to the local hazardous waste recycling station, stop on the way home to buy a few flowering herbs or some flower seeds, rent “Queen of the Sun”, and you can do your part to save the bees.

Posted in Bees | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Ultra-mini greenhouse report

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my husband’s mini-greenhouse (this idea is apparently in use by others, who knew?) It seems to be a good way to make use of the deli/bakery plastic that people sometimes bring to my house.

Happy squash plants started in a plastic deli castoff

And it is a fast way to start seedlings. Lettuce seeds were up in a flash. Then we planted squash–this worked SO much better than putting them in a pot in the windowsill, which never seemed to be too successful. They have since been transplanted into larger quarters. Next up: sunflower seeds, those were up in a week. We were on a roll. Love these little plastic containers that I used to whine about.

Sad little sunflowers trying to make a comeback

Then we had a setback. Western Washington experienced a rare week of sunny and hot (in our area, we consider the mid-70′s a heat wave) weather. We put our containers outside to soak up some sun. Busy schedules and viruses intervened, and after a day or two of being forgotten, the sunflowers were given up for dead. Lettuce and peppers were shriveled beyond recognition. We did manage to resurrect a few sunflowers, but lesson learned. You can’t take little seedlings for granted–they still need a fair amount of TLC in their first weeks.

I’m trying to remind myself–it’s ok to experiment, and you are bound to make some mistakes along the way. And really, these mistakes are very low stakes when it comes to gardening. Seeds are inexpensive, and the time investment was relatively minimal. But it’s easy to get attached to little plants that you have seen pop out of the dirt. So in the future, I need to remember that spring gardening requires a little change of routine for seedling nurturing.

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Urban Farming at the University of Washington

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

When I was a grad student at the University of Washington (a while back), it wouldn’t have occurred to me that there would ever be a farm anywhere on campus. UW is known for its medical school, academic programs, the beautiful campus and campus setting, and yes, the football team, our beloved Huskies.  A farm? On a city university campus? But I think this urban farm is just another example of how the UW is at the forefront–it was started in 2004 by members of the campus community interested in sustainability and local foods.

This urban farm backs up to the Burke-Gilman, a popular urban trail

Garlic growing next to the greenhouse

I first learned of the farm a few years ago when I was attending a food-related conference at the UW, and was impressed. Today we returned with students from our sustainable nutrition class for a student-led tour. The farm is mostly run by student volunteers, and operates on very little space. See that picture above?–there is a lot of food growing in previously wasted space between the trail and the nearby greenhouse. Plants are tucked into any available small plots of land.

One of the compost bins

They make their own compost, in an area referred to as the “Back 40″. There are perennials growing here, and they even have a few beehives. Not your typical campus landscape. There were chickens at one point, but they got to be too difficult to care for properly with solely volunteer help.

Student-built pizza oven

Besides all of the plants, which, I couldn’t help noticing, were all growing way better than the plants in my garden, there was a pizza oven. It was built about 7 years ago by a group of students, and is used for pizza bakes every month of so. These are open to the public–as are all UW Farm events–so if you live in the Seattle area, check out the website and go for a visit. It might inspire you to start your own urban farm at your own workplace. It’s really made me think about how we could grow a lot of food in our urban areas. Look around–you might find a forlorn patch of ground somewhere that could use a few vegetables to liven things up.

Posted in Urban Gardening, UW Farm | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Slightly addictive rhubarb bars

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

Rhubarb seems to be an under-appreciated plant. But it has so much going for it. If you are a novice gardener, this is a good plant to start with. You can probably get a rhubarb start from a neighbor or friend, and they are extremely easy to grow. Plus they are perennial. I have a rhubarb plant that is 25 years old, and still going strong–plants just need to be divided every few years, and that is a simple task. And they are pretty plants–a good way to start an edible landscaping project.

Rhubarb, nice addition to the landscape

And rhubarb recipes are under-appreciated as well. Though a lot of people love rhubarb pie, there is much more you can do with it. The following recipe is my slightly-modified version of a Better Homes and Gardens recipe from a few years back. As you can tell by the name, it has become one of our favorites.

By the way, you can only use the rhubarb stalks. The leaves are poisonous–so don’t get any ideas about adding them to your salad.

Slightly Addictive Rhubarb Bars

Line an 8″ square pan with parchment paper. (If you haven’t tried this yet, it is better than foil for a lot of uses. Most grocery stores stock it now; it’s in the section with the foil and plastic wrap).

In large bowl, stir together:
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup flour
3/4 packed brown sugar
Cut in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs:
3/4 cup butter

Set aside 1 cup of oats mixture. Press remaining into bottom of pan. Bake in preheated 350° oven 10 – 15 minutes, till barely browned.

In medium bowl, stir together:
1/4 cup white sugar
2 TB. flour
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Add: 2 cups fresh or frozen sliced rhubarb (about 1/2″ chunks) and toss together

Spread on hot crust. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture on top; press lightly. Bake 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool on rack. Drizzle with icing (3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, few teaspoons milk). Store in refrigerator.

Posted in baking, baking cookies, Cooking, Edible landscaping, Rhubarb | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Why You Should Plant a Fruit Tree

Posted on May 7, 2012 by

I guess the obvious answer to the title is…..to get fruit. Nonetheless, every neighborhood has some totally neglected fruit trees, with fruit that no one bothers to harvest. This is very sad to me as a proponent of local food. You can’t get much more local than the backyard. I suppose that there are lots of reasons for fruit tree neglect, but one may be that it’s so much easier to pick fruit from the produce department than from a tree. If you have to risk life and limb to harvest fruit, it’s probably wise to think carefully.

Too-tall cherry tree with semi-dwarf in front

So the first rule of fruit trees is….do a little research. Learn from our mistakes. When we put our first fruit trees in 20-some years ago, I just went to the nursery and bought some trees.  Now we have a wonderful pie cherry tree……but even a ladder won’t reach the tallest branches. We had to do some pruning last year to get our cherries. Our recent purchases were semi-dwarf, which are perfectly manageable. To make picking easier, do your research so you know just how tall that tree will get.

Other areas to research–does the tree need a pollinator or is it self-pollinating? Of course you also want a tree that will grow well in your area. And one more thing that seems obvious–do you like the fruit? It’s helpful to go to a nursery that will let you taste the different varieties, especially if you are buying apples. We did the research on all of these factors when deciding on the two new apple trees that we bought, and it was worth it, even though my usual practice is to be spontaneous. Fortunately my husband was involved in the purchase, and cooler heads prevailed. The trees are doing well, and the apples taste great. Plus fruit trees are pretty, especially this time of year–a great start to any edible landscaping plan.

And if you do have neighbors who aren’t harvesting their fruit…..it can’t hurt to ask if you can pick. My neighbor doesn’t bake and has a pie cherry tree. She was delighted to not have her cherries go to waste. I pick her cherries, and of course always bake her a pie. And it’s been fun to get to know her and her wonderful family–her kids refer to me as “the cherry lady”. All in all, a pretty good title.

Posted in Edible landscaping, Fruit trees | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Fooling your family, continued

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

Now I do have to be careful what I say there, because my daughter reads this blog. But really, this isn’t about fooling your family, it’s about gradually changing the way you cook to be healthier, so the changes won’t be that noticeable. Not really deceptive……well, we’ll see if Jenn chimes in with a comment on this.

Easy to find whole wheat at most stores

An easy change is to buy whole wheat pasta instead of white. This is noticeable–not going to fool anyone. But a lot of people have told me that their kids actually like it better.  Start with a brand that is only part whole wheat so it’s not that drastic a change. Check the label, usually whole wheat will be the first ingredient, then enriched flour the second. (The first ingredient on the list is the one present in the greatest amount by weight, then others in descending order by weight).  If you don’t like the first whole wheat pasta you try, experiment with another brand. Some truly are tastier than others. Eating more whole grains is a relatively new Dietary Guidelines recommendation–one of the reasons why it’s now so easy to find whole grains in the store compared to just a few years ago.

Another change that is easy and will add nutrients and fiber–use part whole wheat flour when baking. Experiment by subbing the whole wheat for part of the white flour. Look for whole wheat pastry flour–it has a finer grain than regular whole wheat and will make a better textured muffin or cookie. (If you are baking yeast bread, use regular whole wheat). I sometimes use all whole wheat when baking with the pastry flour, and it works fine, but it depends on the recipe and your family–best to start slow. Here’s a recipe, using rhubarb that is in season now.

Applesauce-rhubarb Muffins

1 cup white flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup applesauce
¼ cup oil
¾ cup chopped rhubarb

In large mixing bowl stir together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In medium mixing bowl beat eggs; stir in brown sugar, applesauce and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir just till moistened (the batter should be lumpy). Fold in rhubarb. Spoon into large muffin cup pans that have been coated with cooking spray. Bake in preheated 350° oven 30 – 35 minutes or till tops are golden. Remove from pans. Makes 5 – 6 large muffins or 12 regular-size muffins.

Posted in baking, Cooking, cooking for kids | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Shhhh…..fooling your family

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

One of my students asked me yesterday for ideas on “fooling your family”. I knew what she meant, and it’s not that devious. We had been talking the day before about making spaghetti sauce using soy “hamburger” instead of real hamburger, and the fact that I didn’t clue my family in about the substitution. Even though I’m officially re-thinking the soy, there are lots of ways to make your foods healthier without anyone noticing the difference.

Lots of veggie possibilities

Cookbooks on the market give tips on how to sneak vegetables into your everyday foods so that your kids won’t notice. I have mixed feelings about this approach. I am all for adding veggies into whatever you can–as long as that isn’t the only way you serve vegetables. If they are only hidden in things, how will kids learn to eat them and hopefully learn to like them? It often takes a lot of exposure (and seeing their parents eat them) to overcome kid’s inherent suspicion of vegetables. Cut them in fun shapes, serve raw vegetables with dip, have your children pick out a new vegetable at the store, start a garden. And here’s a recipe that your kids will probably like–you can keep the squash a secret if you want to–and they won’t even know it’s there.

Alternative to butternut squash

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

1 medium butternut squash or 2 small other winter squash
1 lb. elbow macaroni or penne pasta
½ tsp. dry mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp dry nutmeg
¼ tsp. black pepper
2 Tb. flour
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 ½ cups milk
1 Tb. butter
1 cup bread crumbs

Cut squash in half and roast on a baking sheet at 400° until soft, 45 minutes – 1 hour. Remove from oven and set aside until cook enough to handle.

Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 8 – 10 minutes. Drain and return to the cooking pot; toss with a little olive oil to keep pasta from clumping together.

Meanwhile, remove seeds and stringy pulp from centers of squash halves and compost. Scoop out the squash and mash in a large bowl until pureed. Add seasonings and flour to the squash and mix well. Add cheeses and milk and mix well. Add the pasta and toss until the pasta is evenly coated with the squash mixture.

Spray 13″ x 9″ pan with cooking spray. Spread pasta mixture evenly in the pan.
Melt butter and toss with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of pasta. Bake at 375° until bubbly and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Posted in Cooking, cooking for kids | Tagged , | 3 Comments