As a teenager, I used to climb through my bedroom window to sit on the roof and look at the stars. I scarcely saw a meteor, but it was one of the rare times my suburban neighborhood was quiet, and thanks to the strip of forest along our back fence, the tree frogs made it feel downright rural.
This week, at the peak of Perseids, I found myself climbing out the bedroom window again – this time with no concern that I would get caught. Adulthood!
With little light pollution aside from the nearly full moon, I was able to see a few meteors. Unfortunately, four (4) (FOUR!) enormous orb weaver spiders wanted to enjoy the shower as well, so I quickly migrated to a chair on the deck. It was a moderately less impressive vantage point, but regardless of perch, watching a meteor shower from my very own homestead was nothing short of surreal.
I am on a tear to get as many to-do list items done as possible before it’s time to go back to work. Here’s what I got up to this week:
Food Production
It has been status quo in my gardens and orchard; my fall seedlings are growing well and the mulberry trees seem to be doing alright. My family’s garden is just beginning to produce, so I’ve brought home peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, and the first of the green beans. Tomato and pepper plants alike are sagging under the weight of green fruits that refuse to blush – a sure sign of the coming deluge. I’m also continuing to freeze kale and dry herbs – more on that later.
One afternoon, I let myself give in to temptation – I picked one of the green fruits that hung low from the several old apple trees that I’ve found on the property. The trees are not in good health, and the apples themselves are mostly misshapen and pockmarked with bug bites and/or a disease that is as of yet unknown to me. However, this particular apple was cartoon-perfect and I knew that if I let it go any longer, I’d likely lose it to a critter.
So I picked it, ate it, and immediately had answers to a series of questions:
- They are Granny Smith apples! I had previously wondered if they were crab apples, but they’re not.
- They are delicious! Or at least they will be…
- They are not totally ripe yet – the skin was thick and the flesh was slightly astringent. So they need a few more weeks.
Buying an old farm and discovering apple trees has to be about as exciting as it gets.
Resource Acquisition & Preparedness
I finally went to some garage sales and had some great finds – two garden trellises for $3, a heavy duty tiered basket stand for $20, and some miscellaneous items (garden trowels, aida cloth for cross stitch, safety pins) for free. I’m not sure what I’m going to use the basket stand for – I can see it storing root vegetables, or as a plant stand growing herbs on my porch. The baskets detach so it would be really fun to collect and store eggs next year when I get chickens.
It was my adopted mom’s first time going to garage sales, so I think we both benefitted from her beginner’s luck – she found this great enamel-topped table for her greenhouse, as well as some vintage pieces to serve as plant trays.
I also acquired some soda trays. I am strongly influenced by Jim Kovaleski, the nomadic market gardener who uses a scythe to cut grass to “feed” and mulch his gardens. Jim uses soil blocking to start all of his seedlings – something I did for the first time this year and absolutely loved. It’s waste-free (no plastic pots!) and allows the plants to develop really strong, air-pruned root systems. However, the blocks need trays that promote drainage but are also sturdy enough to be moved. I planned to build some wood trays this winter in the style of Eliot Coleman, the innovator of soil blocking. However, Jim uses discarded trays from soda distributors with great results.
Someone in my local Facebook group posted a few as a freebie. Not only did she let me have them, but someone else saw my comment and offered me a few more that had been collecting dust in their garage. All in, I wound up with 7 trays!
Aesthetic Utility
I picked up a vintage wooden spoon rack at a garage sale – not for spoons, but for herbs! I’ve been looking for a solution that will allow me to air dry herbs and flowers in my kitchen. This isn’t a complete solution (I have a LOT of herbs to dry), but it is a start. I really like the way that this turned out! I need to find cuter and smaller clothespins, though.
Energy Independence
This was a huge week for energy independence!
I had ductless mini splits installed. They are a substantial investment at about $14,000 for my 1600 square foot house, but they are highly efficient and will allow me to forgo window A/C units. They are also dual duty – in the winter, they can produce heat, which means less reliance on the 35 year old oil-guzzling boiler that resides in my basement.
While the crew was here to install them, I received an email confirming that my solar project has been approved and the necessary permits have been issued – which means I am cleared to move forward with installation in September. When the solar project is complete, the electricity to operate the mini splits will be free!
Moving Forward
I signed up for ChipDrop on a lark, assuming that it would be weeks or months before I had the opportunity to receive a load of free wood chips from tree crews working in my area. To my surprise, my request was live for about 24 hours before I received a notice that my drop was imminent. I received 20 cubic yards of wood chips, mostly pine, pine needles included.
While hardwood chips would have prompted some interesting projects (mushroom farm, anyone?), beggars can’t be choosers and this pile is like gold to me. It will allow me to suppress weeds and start building healthy soil in the garden area, establish a location for a blueberry patch, mulch the fruit trees, soften some footing for Winnie… the possibilities are endless. That said, they’re not going to haul and spread themselves…
Talk soon,
KC