Inside The Polished Apple

As summer gets closer and the days warmer, our backyard and house blend into one. Our June theme comes from the good fortune that its finally easy to spend time in nature, and its that time of year that food starts magically appearing out of the earth~rhubarb, veggies greens, herbs and more. I've had the gardening bug for years and am in the middle of preparing our vegetable garden and growing our food forest, which is now in year two! Its a slow process this year with a big heavy belly, but will be worth it in a month or two. The subject of how we nourish our bodies is one that repeats itself over and over again, and recently showed up at our viewing of the documentary Your Second Fifty. Should we be juicing? Including smoothies? Should we cut out aggravating foods like sugar or gluten? Less fats and salts? More fats and salts? Eat locally? There is no one answer that applies to anyone. The best advice I can suggest is to try a new habit, and ch...

Our Goal:  Urban Farming. Being a little bit self-sustainable in the city.  This year we're working on a circular bed around our new crab apple tree-it's about a 7 foot radius.  (First possible concern... The canopy on this apple tree may extend 20 feet.... Hmmm). We cut out the grass and have hauled away 838 pounds of sod (so far).  There's a little more to do once the rain clears.  I'll need some more plants, but so far I have comfrey, Jerusalem artichoke, and a few herbs to plant in the garden.  Once we're past the May new moon (today!) and add back some soil and compost, the plants can start going in.  Perhaps we'll transplant some rhubarb and raspberries or goji to this bed or use it as another vegetable garden while we start moving plants. I'll need to go plant shopping again soon. Add in some 20 plus more plants, some white clover (or chickweed-I've been hearing it's an amazing green for us) for ground cover and we'll be good to g...

What's good for the environment, works to put food on the table, and is nice to look at in your backyard?  That's right, a Food Forest ! I went through a workshop craze at the end of 2013.  On the day of the Solstice I attended this informative workshop on Food Forests, presented by a local business, the Leaf Ninja's.   I think the day was timely, as this concept will hopefully usher in a new backyard and bring with it much abundance!   Not only is it a wonderful concept to learn, I think it can give us a new perspective on our health as well. I won't try to pretend I can teach the subject, but lets just outline this as a "low-maintenance sustainable gardening system based on woodland ecosystems.  It incorporates fruit trees, berry shrubs, herbs, vines, and perennial vegetables to provide food, medicine, and other benefits for humans."  Some examples of food species for our area... Apple trees, Sea Buckthorn, Raspberries, Orac...