Dodeca-what?

Check out these unique dodecahedron (12-sided) hives I visited today.  They were created by Ron Breland, who has been called "the most radical beekeeper in Rockland County".  We all agreed he's the most warm and friendly radical any of us have ever encountered.  The bees really seem to like him too:

Bugged

My apologies for the lack of photos in this post.  I'll try to add some later.

We did a check of the hives last week.  I hadn't been involved in much beework recently, so it was a nice change of pace.  The hive known as "Satisfaction" had been without a queen for a month, which was cause for concern.  In order to encourage to the worker bees to create a new queen, comb from another hive containing eggs and larvae were placed in Satisfaction along with some nursemaid bees.  I had the task of firmly, yet carefully, knocking the nursemaids into the hive.  This involves raising the wooden frame, which is covered with bees, several inches above the hive and then bringing it down decisively on the edge of a frame still in the hive.  The impact sends most of the bees on the frame you're holding down into the hive and once you've done it, you step back quickly.  I did this twice with good results.  As I sometimes find myself to be an indecisive person, working with the bees is a good exercise in behavior modification.  You need to be clear in your actions and not hesitate when working with bees: they do not like indecisiveness.

Today I went to a screening of "Queen of the Sun", a documentary on bees that I've been trying to see for months: http://www.queenofthesun.com/about/  It was shown at Shadowcliff, a beautiful old mansion overlooking the Hudson River in Nyack, NY that is the current headquarters for the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a non-profit that's been promoting non-violence since 1914.  It also happens to be the office of film director Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs", "Philadelphia", "Rachel Getting Married").

"Queen of the Sun" looks at the dangers honeybees are facing around the world, much of which is due to commercialization.  For example, in central California there are thousands upon thousands of acres of almond trees that require pollination every year in order to produce nuts.  Because there are just almond trees in these orchards that only bloom in February, bees cannot make a home there year-round.  This lack of local bees means that thousands of bees are trucked in from all over the country in order to tend to the almond blossoms.  These traveling bees struggle with temperature/environmental changes,  eat corn syrup while in transit since they can't forage for food, and are at increased risk of contracting diseases and parasites: all of which makes the hives quite vulnerable.  But the bees who are not exploited in this way are also in jeopardy: exposure to pesticides disrupts their ability to find their way back to their respective hives and may be a cause of Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious occurrence where entire bee colonies suddenly disappear.  Since bees are necessary for vegetables and fruits to grow, there is much at stake if they are not protected.  If you eat honey, buy local!  If you want to help bees, plant flowers!

Bees were not the only insects on my mind this past week.  The theme of the day camp was "What Bugs You?" so Josh and I did some sessions with the children that focused on insects such as ants, butterflies, ladybugs, and flea beetles, in addition to the bees.  Some of the campers are wary of the bees in the garden, but most are intrigued by the numerous 6-legged creatures that call the garden their home...much as I was at the same age.  Bugs rule!

Of Cabbages and Queens

Though the regular garden maintenance and day camp sessions were in full swing last week, the interns were able to take time for some educational activities.  As part of its commitment to intern training, The Pfeiffer Center participates in the Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) of the Lower Hudson Valley, which provides new farmers with opportunities to learn what is happening at other farms in the area every other Tuesday evening.

While many of the farms are located in more rural settings, some are in or around New York City.  Our host this past Tuesday was Brooklyn Grange, a 1-acre rooftop farm that, despite the name, is not located in Brooklyn, but rather in Queens.  Situated on top of a large, 6-story industrial building, this unique agricultural enterprise sold 12-13,000 pounds of vegetables to local restaurants, its 25-member CSA, and at farmers' markets last year.  The rooftop-specific soil used for the vegetable beds is made from mushroom compost and special lightweight stones, so it looks a bit strange but the plants don't seem to mind.  Drainage mats, felt, and special fiber mats located beneath the soil work to manage water dispersal on the roof in conjunction with 16 drains.  Though it's quite a remarkable feat,  sustainability may be a challenge as it is difficult to keep replenishing the soil when you have load-bearing issues to consider: it took 1 million pounds of soil just to establish the farm.  Nevertheless, it was a beautiful evening.  Elexis, Josh, Kirstin, and I meandered about the heirloom tomatoes, beets, chard, sunflowers, salad greens, and okra and enjoyed the sunset along with the cool breezes on the rooftop.  www.brooklyngrange.org

Looking over the edge between beds 1 and 0.  Note beds -1 and -2 to my right.
This is due to the lopsidedness of the building

Wednesday afternoon found me pulverizing chopped and shredded green cabbages in an earthenware crock with a potato masher in order to break down their cell walls so they could magically become sauerkraut.  I have never made anything fermented before so it was interesting to see the packing of the salted cabbage into mason jars using the leftover cores and leaves to create a sort of seal at the top of the jar which will keep the cabbage from rising above the brine and potentially spoiling.  We'll shake it occasionally and then check it in about 2 weeks.  Head Gardener Megan will be giving a workshop on food preservation techniques on July 30; this was a technical rehearsal for that event.  I have to say that I did feel like I was getting in touch with my Polish heritage with this activity.  Looking forward to preparing horseradish next...

Herban Living

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had taken on the role of "herb steward", which means I'm partially responsible for gathering, drying, and storing the plants that are used for making Pfeiffer Center salt blends, salves, and other cool things.  In addition to the familiar herbs like parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, we also dry mint, fennel, lemon verbena, lavender, catnip, comfrey, and calendula flowers.  The calendula has been blooming over the past couple of weeks and I've been trying to stay on top of gathering the blossoms...

...and getting them into the dehydrator located in the greenhouse.

The Threefold Educational Center hosts a 6-week nature-focused day camp program on the campus each summer and this year's session started last week.  Visiting the garden is part of the daily schedule for the campers, who range in age from 5 to 15.  The interns are tasked with finding various ways to engage the children in the garden.  We have them taste and smell different plants, weed beds and then plant seeds, tear out things that are past season like sweet pea vines, and also pick herbs.  The lower trays in the dehydrator are very full in this photo because the campers harvested mint and lemon verbena and then went the extra step of picking the leaves off the stems.

Once those calendula blossoms are dry, we'll remove the petals and soak them in a jar of olive oil for a few weeks.   The resulting infusion will be an ingredient in the salve we'll make in the late fall/early winter.  Calendula is known for its soothing and healing properties, which is why you find it in lotions and creams.  The Pfeiffer Center salve is a favorite among the locals and a bestseller during the Christmas shopping season.  Here's some additional information on calendula, including a recipe for the infusion and a salve:
http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/last-chance-foods/2011/jun/10/calendula-anise-hyssop-flower-power/

Another flowering plant mentioned in the article is anise hyssop, which is a favorite of the bees in the garden here.  I washed out an almond butter jar today in preparation for anise hyssop leaf sun tea.  I'll let you know how that works out for me.

Best wishes for the 4th of July!

Suckers!

Attention Tomato Growers!  If you see leaves and/or stems protruding from the middle of two branches, such as those pictured above, remove them immediately.  They are draining energy away from the potentially delectable tomatoes you have your heart set on for later in the summer.  These suckers are roadblocks on the path to deliciousness: do not let them win!!!

Sharing the Wealth

With the passing of the solstice last week, there is a sense of spring tenderness transitioning to summer hardening in the plants.  We've been busy harvesting for the farmstand that's open in the garden Mondays and Wednesdays and also the Threefold Cafe, the Hungry Hollow Food Co-op, the Fellowship Community (which cares for the elderly), and a local food bank.  Since food banks are mainly stocked with non-perishable items like canned goods, it always pleases me when fresh vegetables can be made available to them.  Increasing access to locally grown produce as well as helping people grown their own is what inspired me to do this internship in the first place.  Right now there's enough chard in the garden to feed a village, so why not share it?

Highlights of the week included

Let's put Chapstick out of business!

• Helping to "split" a hive known as Feliciana that was filling up with larvae, comb, and honey due to a very productive colony.  In order to encourage further productivity, some of the frames of larvae and comb and nursemaid bees were transferred into an empty hive with the hope that they will start a new colony.  The queen bee was left behind in the original hive, so the transferred nursemaids will be forced to raise a new queen.  This reduces the possibility of Feliciana swarming, not that swarming is a bad thing, but this hive is located in a somewhat secluded place where a swarm would not typically be noticed and therefore, the colony could be lost to the woods.

• Learning how to make lip balm using beeswax and olive oil from my fun former fellow intern Kirstin McKeel (shown above), who finished her year at the Pfeiffer Center recently but fortunately will be around for the summer.  These items were packaged and offered for sale at a fundraiser last night along a with an herbal tea blend.
• Making 30+ pieces of origami to complement the bouquets of flowers decorating the tables at the aforementioned fundraiser.  Keeping with the garden theme, I folded some colorful dragonflies, frogs, and rabbits, but found that the latter are not as windproof due to the long ears.
• Waiting out a very heavy rainstorm in the greenhouse and getting a few trays of fennel fronds packed into the dehydrator in the process.  My fellow herb stewards and I have been trying to keep the dehydrator full, but continuous rain has interfered with our plans.  We're hoping for a drier week this week (pun intended).

Correction- When describing the fabulous bunch-of-grapes costume I wore in the 2010 DC Pride Parade, I neglected to mention that it was trifecta of designers who created it for me, one that included the delightful Angela Gaudette as well as Jane and Tamika.   

Relocation Update- I found a nice, newly renovated, 2-bedroom apartment on a quiet tree-lined street in a historic neighborhood in Albany last weekend.  It's walking distance to the hospital where Mike will be working and the rent is less than what we are paying in DC (not that that should surprise anyone).  Now we just need to get everything moved, including Zoe.  Stay tuned...

Here are some photos from the garden this morning:

Baby robins sleeping in one of the apple trees

Red and green cabbage drenched in sunshine

Bees love lavender

Bachelor button gets a visit from a flower bee

Parsnips gone to seed

In Between Days

The past two weeks...a blur...  Here are the highlights:

• An unexpected Memorial Day weekend visit from my sister Kerry and her old friend Dana consisted of a tour of the garden and a visit to the Dairy Queen

• Bringing in the hay with temperatures in the high 90's: the last time I sweat that much I was in full foil fencing gear getting trounced by my friend Nichole.  Despite the heat, it was fun to collect large piles of hay and spear them with your hayfork to lift them over your head before tossing them onto the hay wagon

• Riding on top of all that hay when it was time to take the wagon down to the barn
• Picking and eating strawberries that are still warm from the sun
• Learning how to do a somewhat complicated series of knots in order to train the tomato plants to grow upward on plastic twine
• Appointing myself "The Herb Steward" and taking on some of the responsibilities of drying herbs, flower petals, etc. for use in teas, salves, and other products later in the year
• Walking through the garden with my grocery list and harvesting the herbs and greens I needed for cooking

For extracurricular activities, I've taken a few day trips.  Mike's best childhood friend, Frank Massimo, his wife Amy, and their son Nick, live about 12 miles away in New Jersey.  They gave me an introductory lesson in sitting on a deck and enjoying tasty snacks on a beautiful afternoon, which was much appreciated.  My former Food & Friends co-worker Meg Coffman and her husband Aaron were in town for a wedding and lured me into Manhattan for a visit to the fascinatingly chaotic Eataly food hall followed by people-watching while eating lunch on a bench in Madison Square Park.  Meg shares my love of a good walk, so we explored The High Line, the former elevated railway along 10th Ave. that has been transformed into a wonderful public park.  Check it out if you are in NYC: www.thehighline.org/

Not everyone may be aware that Mike has accepted a position at the Veterans' Administration hospital in Albany, NY.  That's only about 2 and a half hours from where I am currently living.  There are many farms in what's referred to as the Capital District and the local food movement seems to be quite strong, so I'm hoping there will be opportunities for me when I finish the internship.  (Baking Fans- there's a bakery in Albany that offers a weekly bread share, like a CSA, from Nov. to April.  I'll be looking into that for sure.)  

This is not to say that I haven't been homesick, especially with so many new routines/ideas/personalities to adapt to.  I've tried to keep my long-held routine of cooking for most of the week on Sunday afternoon/evening and have found that this DC pattern is so strong I sometimes catch myself thinking I need to give Zoe her medication or ask my neighbors Betty & Rita for missing ingredients just as I would've done at home. 

This past weekend marked the first time since 2003 that haven't marched in the Pride parade as a representative of Food & Friends.  I knew it would've been difficult to top the bunch-of-grapes costume made of purple balloons (designed expressly for me by my talented former co-workers Jane Yamaykin and Tamika Hodnett) that I strutted in last year, but it would have been fun to try.  Perhaps something that the crowd wouldn't have tried to rip off of me, but then again...  ;-)

It's late and I've got compost to layer in the morning, so I have to stop for now.  Good night, all.