Gayla

December 7, 2011

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Holiday Gifts for the Gardener/Preserver/Stylish Survivalist in Your Life (+ Giveaway)

Home Ground: Sanctuary in the City by Dan Pearson $19.79 US: You can’t go wrong with a book, and I think that the Holidays are a great opportunity to gift books that friends might not buy for themselves otherwise. I found this beautiful, diary-like garden book at a local cookbook shop and was instantly drawn to its quiet, contemplative mood. Vibrant, full-page photos that are printed on contrasting matte and high gloss papers helped a lot, too. It’s the perfect book for inspiring new dreams as you while away the winter (and its stupid, ass face).

I may have to “gift” a second copy to myself.

All remaining images are the property of their respective websites.

CobraHead® Long Handle Weeder and Cultivator $59.95 US: I rarely promote tools and products on this site because I know from experience that one does not require legions of such things to grow a successful or beautiful garden. However, a few good-quality tools that will not break in hard, compacted, urban soil are indispensable and worth the investment.

My favourite tool bar none is the regular, short-handled Cobrahead®. It is still my #1 go-to tool for most tasks and I leave it perched on the edge of one of the raised beds where it is always available for quick use. I still have the original that Cobrahead® sent me in 2003 and it looks and functions exactly as it did back then, only with a lot more dirt on it.

A few years ago, Cobrahead® sent me their long-handled version to review. While it is a very good tool for weeding or meeting unfriendly strangers in dark alleys on the way home from long days at your community plot, we’ve found that its best use in our garden is as a compost turner (I say “we” here because as the official compost turner, Davin uses this tool more than I do). When the tool was stolen from our community garden, I felt panicked as to how we would ever effectively turn our compost again. The thin hook really gets in there and grabs chunks easily in a way that I’ve never been able to easily accomplish with a shovel or fork. And the long handle ensures that I don’t have to hoist my body right into the bin to work it around well.

GIVEAWAY: Cobrahead® is giving away one Long Handle Weeder and Cultivator (U.S & Canada only) and one short-handled CobraHead® Weeder and Cultivator (Worldwide). Please leave a comment below and I will chose a winner at random next Wed. Dec 14 at 5pm EST. Your entry can be as simple as “Count me in.”
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December 2, 2011

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Make Your Own Herbal Bath Tea

This is an old project that I originally posted to this site back in the early 2000′s. It was lost when we switched over to a new design, but I’ve brought it back in time for holiday gift-making. (p.s. the photos are small due to the original page design)

You can expect a few more oldies, but goodies to appear here over the next week.

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This is a simple, but satisfying gift to make using herbs grown in your own garden. I’ve been making them for years and can fire off a large batch in one night. It’s the perfect gift for those who bathe — which is just about everyone.

What You Need:

Cotton muslin or pre-made resealable tea bags (large size).
Ribbon or string
An assortment of herbs (see recipes below)
Essential oils (optional)
Rolled oats, epsom salts, sea salt (see below).
Cellophane bags, cellophane roll, other packaging.

To make the bags you will first require some unbleached cotton muslin. Other cotton fabrics can be used, but I prefer this kind the most because it is dirt cheap ($2.00 and change for a yard or cheaper if you buy scraps from the ends bin) and has an open weave that holds in herbs yet allows their goodness to leach out easily into bathwater. In the past I have purchased ribbon (I’ll explain its use later), but this year I found some nice seam binding tape in earth tones for a very good price (29 cents a yard).

If you don’t want to sew you can purchase special large-sized, sealable tea bags made especially for this purpose. They are relatively cheap to buy and can be sealed with an iron. However, I guarantee you that even the most inexperienced sewer can make this. Keep in mind that it is going to be used a few times and eventually tossed into the compost heap. Precision is not necessary.
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December 2, 2011

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Heck Yeah! Pickle Obsessive

My fermenting obsession continues to play out at a fever pitch. The honey wine is kicking ass and I just purchased 4lbs of parsnips from the farmers’ market with a loose plan to make parsnip wine. The book, (“Country Wines” 1953) speaks very highly of this particular brew.

Thanks to Paula, who sent me a link to the video (above) featuring Alex Hozven, the proprietor of a pickling business called The Cultured Pickle Shop, in Berkeley, CA (How many more reasons do I need to get my butt out to Berkeley?). Her enthusiasm is infectious and her ideas… Let me put it this way: fermentation is a great, wild world and I am only just barely beginning to scratch its surface.

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November 30, 2011

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Easy Growing: Coming Soon

Black and white galley copies of my new book, Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers from Small Spaces arrived on my doorstep late last week, signalling that we are one step closer to the publication date in early February 2012. If you’re a long-lead publication that would like to write a review or do an interview with me, please get in touch with my Publicist at Clarkson Potter/Random House, Anna Mintz, 212-572-6186.

I am also in the process of scheduling appearances/workshops/presentations for the 2012 growing season. If you’d like to have me come out to your event, shop, etc next year please do get in touch via the contact form with any pertinent information.

The book is currently on sale as a pre-order through several online vendors, but will not be shipped or hit bookstore shelves before February. Since this idea went over so nicely with the last book, I’ve gone ahead and made hi-res promissory notes that you can print out and slip into a card to let friends know that you’ve pre-ordered a copy for them as a holiday or birthday gift.

The full book website is not available yet, but we’re working on it!

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November 30, 2011

47 Comments

Winter Rears Its Beautiful, Horrible Ass Face

I’ve had to interrupt my previously scheduled post to bring you this breaking news: Holy shit, it is snowing!

I have tried over the years to come to appreciate winter more. I really have. I know there are lots of reasons to appreciate and even enjoy this time of year; I just don’t care about those reasons in the face of months and months of permanently frozen extremities. Intellectually, I understand the importance of winter in this region as it pertains to the ecosystem. Wild life rely on it. Plants need it. We need it. I get it. Winter is good. Snow is good.

Aesthetically, a newly fallen snow is a very beautiful site to behold. Snowflakes are magical. I am fascinated by all of the plants that stay green and thriving underneath a thick blanket of snow. You can make snow angels, although I must warn you that this requires laying down in the horribleness. Sledding is fun at any age; however, I would advise against it if you have hip or knee problems. I like the way things look through my camera when you can see the bones of the trees. I appreciate the simplified image I can capture when a blanket of white cuts out the details and lays the world bare.

Why, just the other day I came up with a new benefit. You see? I am always brainstorming for the good side. I am a beacon of hopeful positivity! The frozen ground and snow coverage prevents the squirrels from digging up my freshly planted bulbs. Score one point for me. I think that makes it Me: 2 — Squirrels: Still winning. Oh, but I am making headway.

I have lived my entire 38 years in this part of Canada. I have experienced winter, frozen earth, light snowfall, slush, icy sidewalks, sprained wrists caused by falling over on icy sidewalks, blizzards, being snowed in, digging out the family car, having to walk to the grocery store through snow up to my waist… I am no stranger to winter weather. I want to be a glowing, earth mother goddess type who welcomes the changing of all seasons with open arms and lush, poetic prose. I want to make you sick with my positive outlook and super-refined, harmonious connection to all of Gaia’s rhythms.

Alas, it just isn’t in my blood. My people come from the tropics and my genetic makeup refuses to let it go. I absolutely abhor the sound of certain type of snow as it crunches underfoot. It causes a physical, cringing sensation akin to nails on a chalkboard that goes right through my whole body. I am physically happier, healthier, and more comfortable overall when I am warm. I really like the sun and the feeling of that warmth on my face. I prefer the chaos of thick greenery to the silence of a white field. I am not contented with a shortened growing season. I miss spending time outdoors, mucking about like a kid in a sandbox through the months when digging the frozen ground calls for the services of nothing less than a flame thrower and a backhoe.

In other words, try as I might, I am not a fan of the winter. But we do have socialized health care and a nice quality of life here so for those reasons I am very grateful to have been born in Canada, despite three or so months of OMG WHEN WILL THIS CRUCIFIXION BE OVER!

Tell me, how do you feel about winter and snow?

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