Spring in motion

A quick video capturing our first site of three Monarch caterpillars on our front yard's Milkweed plant. For the best viewing experience click on the video to watch in fullscreen HD on YouTube.

Tasting history...with myrtle

Alongside our home lies a rather long stretch of myrtle shrubbery. I've always wondered if there was any use for this plant. Just by touch it's extremely aromatic!

So, one day I posted a picture of the shrub to see if I could get an ID. Of course, within a few moments Rebecca dictator at Kings Road Apothecary correctly identified this plant and sent me a great link that I will share with you later in this blog.

Myrtle Hedge

But first, lets talk a little about the background of this ancient plant. 

In the Mediterranean, myrtle is a symbol of immortality and love. The Mediterranean culture considers myrtle an essential plant.

Myrtle was sacred to Venus, Aphrodite and Demeter!

The use of myrtle dates back to the Egyptians who would use it for sore throats, coughs, and topically to treat muscle pains. 

Learning about the Egyptians use of myrtle led me to researching this plant's medicinal properties. 

Harvested just enough for a test run.

Learning that I could make a great liqueur called mirto was awesome enough but then realizing its medicinal properties really made me fall more in love with this plant. There are so many uses for it, internally and topically.

Here's a list of conditions that myrtle can aide in besides the ones already stated (always take caution if you are using any prescription drugs):

Respiratory infections
Urinary tract disorders
Prevents wound infections
Speeds up healing process
Healthy digestion
Can decrease blood sugar

Now to the mirto making! Rebecca led me to this great blog that showcased a recipe for mirto, a Sardinian liqueur: Hunter*Angler*Gardener*Cook. You must click on that link its what really inspired this blog.

Here is our mirto in the making. 

Used Ketel One vodka. 

Just an hour later. Look at that gorgeous color!

After letting it sit for about over a month, a little longer than suggested. We decided to taste the mirto on my Husband's birthday. 

Before straining it I added some local raw honey to add some sweetness as suggested by Hank Shaw's blog. 

I really cannot emphasize how great the taste was. I felt instantly connected to the history of this plant after my first sip. Very herby and kind of junipery...is as close as I can get in description because the flavor is new to my palate. Simply divine. 

Next year for the holidays some family and friends just might get a bottle of home harvested and crafted mirto. 

About a month and a half later we have ourselves Mirto! 

Remember mirto is a liqueur that is best used as an after dinner drink and should be sipped to thoroughly enjoy its flavor.

Oh the things you learn along the garden pathway! Oh yeah, side note, having plant loving contacts to ID your plants doesn't hurt either.

Experimenting in the garden

We have our highs and lows in garden harvests. Which, seems pretty normal for a two person operation approaching it's third year.

I like to think that we are in a heavy experimental phase right now.

We're attempting to master our garden's ecosystems to build harmonious designs. Our plans must also incorporate our current lifestyle, which is busy, but we're not that busy in which we fail to stop and smell the flowers.

The best way to describe the current state of our garden would be, resilient.

Lots of nourishment needs to occur before we even think of growing more seasonal crops due to the first experimental phase, the birth of the garden. We produced a lot and failed to offer our soil additional support.

We aspire to reap larger consistent harvests but we'll take our time in attaining that goal by focusing on giving our soil some tender love and care.

Pictured in the above collage are plants that have fared quite well with little to no human intervention (includes watering) in our gardens.

There's a nasturtium forest that's starting to take over the main edible garden, onions are nice and happy after the rain and even after some frozen topsoil, cinnamon basil is keeping the bees happy, hollyhock's foliage is flourishing, yarrow is showing new growth, Meyer lemons keep keepin' on, honeysuckle is blooming, diehard aloe is looking regal, strawberries are blooming, parsley recently had a growth spurt, and lots of wildflowers have reseeded and sprouted.

The nasturtium forest. 

Gorgeous cinnamon basil from ardenwoods edibles. 

Onions surprise us in this garden. 

Meyer Lemons. 

All those sprouts are Ca. native wildflowers. Nasturtiums are creeping in. 

Other herbs such as cooking sage, oregano, and thyme are all doing great too!

Stay tuned for a fruit tree and edible shrub update plus lots more exciting stories and projects.

See you on the pathway.  

World Herbs Seminar, L.A. Arboretum

Greetings gardeners and stewards of the land.

In case you didn't already know Ecoworkshops is presenting a seminar on World Herbs at the L.A. Arboretum on Nov. 3.

I'll be speaking about Mexican and Southwestern herbs. Some varieties that we will go over include, salvia hispanica, amaranth, and mayo/yoeme basil.

We'll discuss why certain varieties have been lost over time, how to re-introduce them into our local environments, and the best ways to prepare and store harvests.

Health properties as well as medicinal uses will be a secondary focus.

Not only will you walk away with a plethora of priceless knowledge, you will also leave with resources that you can take home an apply.

Hope to see you there!

Healthy School Gardens: Part One

Creating a safe and healthy edible school garden 

CA Poppy.

School garden safety is crucial! 

Be sure to review the California Department of Education School Garden Safety guide before beginning your project as well as UC Cooperative Extension's Common Ground Garden Program website. 

Here's a quick run through of steps you'll want to take prior to establishing a healthy and safe school garden environment (the guides above go into further detail). 

Remember, a school garden is not a sole person's responsibility, it takes a group of committed individuals and leaders to support such a great effort. It's essential to distinguish a garden support team. This team can be comprised of teachers, afterschool leaders, students, parents, older siblings, and college interns. The list is endless of who can support school garden efforts, it's all about the approach. Don't forget to reach out to your local county master gardener.

The Learning Garden, Venice High School Compost System

Soil Preparation is key. Soil can be contaminated with chemicals such as arsenic and lead, even bagged soil sold at garden stores can contain unknown heavy metals and chemicals. Heavy metals reside within the topsoil. Contact your local master gardener to find a healthy source of soil or to guide you in testing your own soil. Be weary of donations from soil companies. Click here for a story on a soil company's school garden donation and why I warn everyone to be cautious about their supplier. 

Organic soil amendments (anything added to your garden soil). Every school garden should establish a composting system that will organically support the creation of healthy soil. Healthy productive gardens have healthy soil with lots of worm activity. A book entitled, "Kids Can Compost" by Wen-Chia Tsai Parker is a great resource to get students composting.

Beneath the sheet mulch. Life!

Mulch. What will cover your garden's ground? Mulch is a great resource in maintaining soil moisture and discouraging weeds. A great economical way to mulch your garden is by way of sheet mulching. If you get mulch donated from a local tree service make sure it's from untreated trees and that the mulch is chopped up well. Large sticks can pose as a safety issue in and around the garden. Be sure to remove them prior to garden activity. Straw is a great option for mulch!

Building materials. Untreated wood should be used for raised beds, treated wood contains cyanide. Stay away from railroad ties, they look perfect for the job, but they are filled with creosote (a carcinogen). These toxic chemicals can leak into the garden soil. Think of safety first when choosing building materials. If you plan on creating raised beds ensure they are no wider that 4ft. You want to ensure that smaller arms can harvest all that they sow. 

Water. When selecting a school garden location think about how you're garden team will water the garden. Some sites like timed irrigation but that creates a distance between you and your plants (unless you plan on developing a farm model). Watering by hand allows students to have a closer relationship to what they are growing. Have older students research different ways of watering, such as creating berms and/or swales. Be sure to have watering cans that are easy for students to use. Be creative with garden rotation teams, perhaps there can be a "watering team" and a "seed starter team".

Seed saving. 

Seeds, Seedlings, and Plants. Organic and Non-GMO seeds should be used in these gardens to ensure the utmost nutritional content of harvests and for the overall health of the garden’s ecosystem. GMO- genetically modified seeds have been scientifically engineered to contain traits from other types of life forms. Luckily, there are resources out there to help guide us in finding seeds that are safe and free of GM organisms. Here’s one, councilforresponsiblegenetics.org  

Salvia clevelandii, native to So Cal.

Seedlings and plants. We only want to incorporate organically grown plants that are safe. Bringing in seedlings or plants from large garden stores can contaminate your soil due to the soil the plant was initially grown in. Also, be aware of harmful and poisonous plants like morning glories (refer to the poisonous plant list in the CDE safety guide above, you’ll be surprised how long the list is!)

Plant Milkweed for Monarchs. 

Biodiversity. When you're creating a school garden, you're really creating an ecosystem. A school garden should incorporate local native plants and other varieties that invite beneficial insects. 

School Garden Agreements. Before entering the school garden all students should review school garden safety agreements. With the support of a garden leader students should establish their own school garden agreements.  Focus on keeping it simple so the agreements are easy to review.

Planting monkey flower with student volunteer.

Donations. People will be excited about your project and may want to donate some resources. To ensure you are meeting all the safety guidelines it's best to provide a list of items needed prior to your garden build to have available for interested donors. Here is another great safety guideline from the USDA for school gardens, I especially like page 5 which reviews school garden donations. 

School Garden Heroes. We all need role models. Here are some links to school garden super heroes, take notes. 

Mud Baron, Plugmobs (take note: plugmobs are currently active at John Muir HS ---- be sure to check out their Facebook Page)

Young Folks Urban Farmers

The Rethinkers, Cafeteria Takeover

Transplanting sunflower seedling from seed sown by her. 

Additional inspiring websites and projects:

The Edible Schoolyard Projects

School Garden Weekly

National Wildlife Federation, Schoolyard Habitat
The Learning Garden