Out and About

Since my last post in September, I attended a 2-day workshop called "Regenerative/Radical Urban Sustainability Training" that featured the cultivation of mushrooms as a means of cleaning up toxic soil (mycoremediation), composting, keeping chickens in a city neighborhood, and aspects of solar greenhouse construction, among other topics.  If I've totally confused you with my description, this may help clarify: radixcenter.org

As luck would have it, this training was held in Albany, so I took it as an opportunity to network a bit.  Though there were not as many locals at the workshop as I expected, I did manage to connect with a staff member from Capital District Community Gardens, a longstanding non-profit that manages 46 community gardens and operates a produce market on wheels called the Veggie Mobile.  I've been invited to spend a day on the Veggie Mobile as it makes stops in neighborhoods with limited produce options.  I also met a pair of young women who are managing a new community garden in North Troy, which is across the Hudson River from Albany.  When they heard that I was in the midst of a biodynamic agriculture internship that has involved working with children, they expressed interest in getting together with me at a later date.  I'm hoping to reconnect with them when I'm in Albany during my winter break.   I figure it's better to start making connections now than waiting until I move to Albany permanently next April.  Being an intern is fun, but I haven't forgotten that I need to find a job in a town where I know no one other than my husband when the internship ends.

Shortly after returning from the workshop, I spent an evening in Manhattan at an exhibit hosted by Megan Evans, an Australian artist, whose honeybee-focused works were inspired by the  philosophy of Ron Breland, the "radical" beekeeper I mentioned in an earlier post.   Ron was present at the tiny gallery space along with one of his dodecahedron hives.  He spoke of the hive as a body and likened the opening of it to invasive surgery.  Megan stated that she would like to see honey be thought of something so valuable that it is given away rather than sold.  When I considered her comment along with Ron's, I concluded that honey is the "blood" of the hive body as it nourishes the bees the way our blood nourishes our cells.  Blood was the only thing I could think of that is so valuable that we donate it rather than sell it.  I shared my thoughts with Ron and he seemed to truly appreciate the analogy.  To view some of the pieces in the exhibit, click here: http://boxofficeprojects.com/Current.html

Here's Intern MaryAnn checking out 3 beds covered with oats, peas, and vetch

The New Zealand clover undersown around this chard
has been replenishing the soil.

Of course, we've also been busy in the garden.  With the passing of the autumnal equinox, there's been plenty of work to do getting the nearly 70 beds ready for the colder months ahead.  Cover crops of rye, oats, peas, and vetch, and also that lovely crimson clover I featured in an earlier post, have been planted to protect and nourish the soil over the winter.  We're still harvesting kale, lettuce, Asian greens, peppers, and parsley for the farmstand.  Thinking ahead to snowier times, spinach and chard seeds have been sown in the greenhouse with the hope that we'll be able to enjoy those leafy greens throughout the winter.   With morning temperatures in the 40's lately, those snowy days are not too far off.  The horses have grown thicker coats in preparation; I have my layers of warm clothing at the ready.

Sending you warm thoughts on a chilly evening...thanks for reading.