Defiant Gardens

When we (read Yvette) originally planned the garden we were thinking of it a great way to save water, enhance the neighborhood, know our food and it's contents, and reduce our involvement in the corporate food chain. I think I can safely say that we've been successful on all points and more become apparent every day. The one thing we tacitly knew was that in one way or another there was a sense of defiance involved. From snubbing the big-box retailers to breaking from the preconception of the suburban front yard.

As we've all seen over the last 7 years 1 month and 28 days, things don't look very good around here. Tainted meat, vanishing fish stocks, genetically modified everything, a divisive social and political climate, Hummers, etc. You get the point. It is with this background noise that we all live and breathe. It is with this background in a more extreme form that incredible human moments can occur. And more specifically, so can gardens. 

I happened across the internet extension of a book entitled Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime by Kenneth Helphand. Mr. Helphand describes Defiant Gardens as those created in difficult times and possess the ability to adapt to those circumstances. He continues to state, "...they can also be viewed from other dimensions as sites of assertion and affirmation." I couldn't agree more. The focus of the book are gardens related to wars in the first half of the twentieth century. The web site acts as a continuation by incorporating gardens from Vietnam, prisons, Afganistan, and Iraq. Be sure to look at the letters from G.I.s and the articles about the Japanese-American internment camps.

Link > Defiant Gardens

Hayground Organic Gardening

Meet Jimmy Williams, owner of Hayground Organic Gardening (he's the one with the blue t-shirt in the photo)! I have been buying seedlings from him this year. He has an outpost at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Third and Arizona. He is an organic farmer, who, with his family, grows their infamous veggies and herbs at their Hollywood Hills Bungalow. They have all sorts of heirloom varieties. Their Goose Creek Tomato is particularly interesting and has an amazing history! These plants have been passed down for generations since Jimmy’s great grandmother came from the Caribbean as a slave, she smuggled the seeds in her pocket and planted them in Goosecreek, South Carolina. I will be planting one in the next few weeks!

XXO Yvette

Radical Simplicity

Our friend Jim Merkel spent the night last week after being stranded at the airport, on his way home from two months of sailing the length of Baja, Mexico. Jim was a panel speaker at the Do It Now: Live Green show I co-curated at Otis College Of Art And Design last year. He is an incredible, gentle, warm, compassionate guy, and his book, Radical Simplicity is an absolute landmark. He lives in a cabin on 10 acres of forest in Vermont, grows his own food, and is a brilliant recovering engineer. Here's the skinny on Jim:

"Originally a military engineer and arms trader, Jim Merkel changed his life at the time of the Exxon Valdez disaster, quitting his job and devoting himself to environmental service and world peace. He downsized his life and 14 years later continues to volunteer and live on $5,000 a year.

Jim founded the Alternative Transportation Task Force in San Luis Obispo, California, and held an elected Sierra Club position while honing urban simple living skills. He lobbied in Washington for wilderness, peace, and Native American rights. In 1994 he received a fellowship to research sustainability in Kerala, India, and walked in the Himalayas. The following year he founded the Global Living Project (GLP) and initiated the GLP Summer Institute to discover what a “fair share" of Earth each individual might be entitled to. With plenty of help from friends and his partner, Rowan Sherwood, a permaculture home and demonstration site were designed and built. He instigated a Cycling for a Sustainable Future speaking tour that has logged over 12,000 miles and delivered hundreds workshops on sustainable living.

At the top of Jim’s cycling career, he earned three silver medals in the Empire State Games and raced in the Nationals. Cycling continues to be his primary transportation both around town and for adventures -- to Mexico, across Canada twice, and through Europe and India. His passions include wild edible plants, wilderness, and making homestead improvements from articles found at the dump."

His book is essential reading for anyone interested in living equitably in the world and getting the most joy for the buck. It'll make you want to sell all your stuff, in a good way.

XXO
Yvette

Beating Your Meat

Doubtless everyone has heard about the giant meat recall, spurred on from secret footage shot by the Humane Society.
You can see the footage here:

Sound Of Fury

But Beware - this is one of the most upsetting things I have ever seen.

Nonetheless, here is a great article by Mark Bittman, the indomitable food editor of the New York Times. I am not a vegetarian, but all our meat, for quite some time, has come from sustainable farms that grass-feed their free-range animals. Still, this last week has convinced me that we eat way too much meat. This article will illustrate...

Rethinking The Meat Guzzler





XOXO Yvette

Planting Day~

Maui Onions


Nootka Rose, Inchelium Red, And Elephant Garlic

Persian Star Garlic

Plain Old Celery


XXO Yvette

Celeste's Tomatillo Sauce

Celeste and I found these beautiful tomatillos at the Farmer's Market. Here is her amazing tomatillo sauce recipe. I used about 30-35 tomatillos (one basket) to make it.

tomatillos, peeled and cut in half
one brown onion, cut into quarters
a couple whole cloves of garlic, peeled
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
olive oil
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Toss cut vegetables with salt, pepper, and olive oil and put into a roasting pan.
Roast for about 30-40 minutes until done.
Put roasted vegetables and cilantro leaves into a food processor (use the blade fitting), and process until veggies have a chunky sauce texture.

This is great as a dip with tortilla chips, and amazing in quesadillas and in scrambled eggs!

XXO

Another Reason To Grow Your Own

The Environmental Protection Agency gave the go-ahead for one-year use of a new agricultural pesticide Friday, saying its own scientific review overrides health concerns expressed by more than 50 chemists and other scientists.

Methyl iodide, also known as iodomethane, will be allowed to control soil pests "under highly restrictive provisions governing its use," the EPA said in a statement.

Because it's a fumagant, we can expect both air and groundwater poisoning, not to mention that they're using this crap on strawberry fields. The strawberry is one of nature's most porous fruits (this is why it is one of the most important foods to buy Organic Only. You can't wash the stuff off if it's inside.

For more info on this brilliant act by our amazing and gifted EPA, who always puts the environment and it's living creatures first, go to:

Please Poison Me!!!

XXO