Journal

January 12, 2009

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CUBA!

I’m back! I’m covered in mosquito bites. Itchy. I’m sunburned. Also itchy. I’m feeling much more alive and functional than I was before I left, although my brain is also super scrambled from the complexity of this trip.

What a trip! I went in with certain expectations based on our previous trip and a certain familiarity with the area around the hotel we chose. But when we got off the plane we were informed that something was busted at our hotel and there was no water so we were being sent to a “fancy” resort 3 hours from our hotel and to a region (Guama) I knew literally nothing about. This new hotel was considered an upgrade, one we would be happy with if we could stand the idea of spending a week at a resort, but we decided right away that when you go to Cuba you have to expect the unexpected. So we just accepted that whatever happened would be what it was and we would go with it.

It turned out to be much better than I expected. I could do without the dynamics of the resort, but boy was the landscape beautiful. The buildings were situated on the side of a mountain so we were right there with stunning views and amazing plants all around. I found it difficult to reconcile the beauty of the landscape and the complexity of being where I was, in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by poverty, with the ugliness of resort life. But again, we just decided to chalk it all up to experience and soak it all in.

Anyways… the plants. Bromeliads and tillandsia everywhere! Some flowering. Palms of every kind. I hugged a lot of palms. This region, more than the area closer to Santiago was covered in the majestic Cuban Palm (Roystonea regia), the national plant of Cuba. What a gorgeous, regal plant! I’m so glad I got the chance to get up close to them this time around.

To my surprise and delight the hotel had a stunning botanical garden as well as a productive food garden. I was also able on this trip to see more agriculture and gardens. So while I missed a second chance to visit the Cactus Garden, I got a lot of unexpected and equally amazing botanical experiences in exchange.

I have lots to write about but I also have a ton to accomplish on my first day back. More soon.

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December 31, 2008

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The Last Post for 2008

It’s that time of year again. I’m supposed to write some kind of rundown of the year highlighting the ups and downs. Look to the future. Make resolutions. Count my blessings. Recap events. Write some kind of list, maybe? But the brain. The brain is dead. The brain was worked overtime for too long and has nothing left to give. I am a shell of my former self. I’m not depressed, just depleted.

But never mind all that. I’ve been a broken record of “poor me” lately to the point of embarrassment, but in a few days I am off to refuel. I should have done this ages ago but the schedule wasn’t permitting, nor was the money, and then there was the sudden realization that something had to give. Now or never. And so I’m off to recapture a bit of the summer that was lost staring at a computer screen for too many hours. Off to spend a few days refueling, refreshing, and experiencing all of my favourite things: sun, warm breezes, ocean, PLANTS, fish, greenery, grasses, rocks, birds, taking photos, seeing, smelling, listening, walking. I’m not a sit on the beach vacationer. I can’t stand the idea of lounging around with a whole new world to discover. What I always seem to need more than rest and relaxation when my perspective is swayed by exhaustion and depletion is to SEE things, have small adventures, and experience those little moments of wonder that bring me back to who I am and what I value most in life.

Funny how plants got me here in one way, yet they are also always a big part in finding my way back.

Oddly enough, by chance and luck, we are going back to Santiago de Cuba. I never thought I’d go there again and yet I am. I’m pretty excited about it for about a million reasons and am absolutely crazed with anticipation about getting to see some of the things we missed or had to pass over too quickly. One of the things that comes immediately to mind is The Cactus Garden. I had to run through it like a maniac last year. This time I hope to spend lots of time looking at each plant and watching the teeny, tiny hummingbirds flutter from one agave flower to the next.

If you’d like to see some of the pictures I took last year I have some plant photos here and non plant photos over here.

I hope you all have a great holiday and get a chance to spend some time filling up with the things that inspire you most and keep you in touch with who you are. Until next year!

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December 29, 2008

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Book: A Tale of 12 Kitchens by Jake Tilson

I bought “A Tale of 12 Kitchens” by artist and designer Jake Tilson just over a year ago and have been trying to find a reason to write about it on the site ever since. The book isn’t particularly about gardening or cooking from garden fresh food, although it does have brief sections describing the author’s family food gardens and a section about homegrown herbs that I will describe later. Regardless, I’ve given up looking for a valid reason and have decided it fits, however loosely.

I initially bought the book to take with me on a train trip to Montreal. At the time this cookbook meets travelogue was the perfect accompaniment to a colourful Fall journey. I particularly love traveling by train and the ride between Toronto and Montreal is my ideal. It’s long enough to really dive into a book or spend ample time daydreaming through the window at beautiful passing landscapes but not so long that you can smell the scent of hell’s inner depths wafting from the toilets every time the door is opened, or that your knees start to ache forcing you into awkward positions in an attempt to get some relief and reminding you that you are old and could drop down dead at any minute. That’s what it was like that time we thought it might be fun and “productive” (I’ll read two books and finally finish that knit hat and by arrival I will have conquered the world!!) to take a 12 hour train trip to New York City. Or was it 14 hours? Or was it forever? Maybe I’m still on that train. Never. Again. So help me god. But the trip to Montreal is perfection. It has this way of deluding me into believing that train travel is the only way to go anywhere, period. I’d go once a season if I could afford it. Come to think of it, three seasons; I’ll skip winter. There’s a reason why I live in Toronto rather than beautiful Montreal, home of the brutal 1998 ice storm.

When I opened the book to take pictures I was surprised to find leaves I had collected on Montreal’s mountain and tucked into the pages for safe keeping.

In my travel experiences food is always tied into the delight and adventure of discovering new sights and smells. Whenever I think about the places I have been I can’t help but think about the food I ate. I can often remember exactly what I ate and where I ate it. Cooking and eating, like gardening, happens within context and always comes with a story. I like to look at cookbooks but for the most part I only like the ones that say more than, “Make this dish. Here’s how.” One of the reasons I love this book is because Jake Tilson has managed to combine a cookbook with a travelogue in a way that is both instructional and inspirational. I feel like I am reading a story or am invited along for the journey and I can experience the book on that level without ever making the recipes. In fact, I have had this book for over a year and have bought two additional copies for friends but had not made a single recipe until just a few weeks ago. It’s like two books in one!

We tried the pancakes on page 104 and they turned out to be the best pancakes we have ever made, hands down. His idea to whip the egg whites first made “cakes” that were amazingly light and fluffy, especially since we used spelt flour, which often turns out flatter “cakes” in my experience. We ate the pancakes with black currant jam.

How we eat and what we eat, especially while traveling is wrapped up inside all kinds of interesting packaging both literally and figuratively. One of my absolute favourite things to do when I visit any new place is go to both the local markets and the larger commercial supermarkets if they have one. I love to see what people eat, how they buy it, and how it is packaged. I often bring back cans of completely average products or candies and wrappers that are completely different than anything I have seen at home. As a graphic designer Tilson has a love for food packaging and has filled the book with labels and photos of food purchased around the world. Each page is a visual treat with all kinds of cookbook covers, shopping bags and packages I have never seen before.

One of my favourite pages in the book (choosing one is no small feat) shows fresh herb packages that he designs and sends to friends from their family home in Tuscany. All of the herbs including bay leaves, juniper berries and fennel flowers are harvest on the property. Yum! I also give away some of my freshly grown herbs and do package them up, and while I have designed packages for pickles and tea sets I have never done so for the herbs. Looking at the book again has inspired me to go that extra mile with next year’s herb.

I can hardly wait.

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December 12, 2008

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Gifts for Gardeners (To Make): Music to Garden To

Remember mixed tapes? The format is all but dead but I’m still keeping a tape player on hand and have hoarded a box full that were given as friendship letters from loved ones over a decade ago when it was still our favourite way to say we cared. CD and DVD are the obvious tangible format of choice these days, but maybe it’s just my age (old) or the way my time is distributed but I’ve lost the love for making mixes. I can’t even muster the effort to half-ass it let alone take the time and care I used to in not only choosing the songs, but carefully transitioning tracks with my “disco mixer” and designing original sleeves for every tape. It’s kind of sad really, and at times a form of creativity that I miss. Although, I definitely have not lost my love of music or my desire to share it. I’ve just lost the ambition to share it in a time-consuming and artful way.

But this week I’ve been thinking about gifts to give to gardeners that one can make; gifts that consider the “giftee”, are thoughtful and require some effort to make, but do not cost a lot of money. I won’t condescend to you by framing this idea within the context of “In these trying economic times…” because frankly, if I hear that phrase used as a reason to be frugal, or god forbid, scale back a little one more time I am going to lose it. As an aside, how many times since this so-called recession/depression has been formally confirmed have I seen newscasts that propose to teach us, the apparently idiot public, how to spend less and scale back presented by some doofus laden in bling, suggesting that we simply “Spend less money”? GAH!

Anyrant, listening to music while gardening is a great way to enhance the experience. I don’t do it often because sometimes I enjoy the sounds of the garden itself as a part of the total experience. You know, the trucks beeping as they back up or the mockingbird calls at the community garden backed up by the constant hum of The Beer Store coolers.

It’s all a part of the ambiance. The soothing sounds of Nature.

The great thing about listening to music while gardening is that you can match your gardening mood or tasks on any given day to a suitable soundtrack. You can listen to aggressive and fast music when you’re on a rampage against compacted soil or a booming aphid population. Or when you just need to release some pent up anger. Or you can choose gentle, calming music on a slow day when you’re in the mood for reflection, connection with your garden and affectionate contemplation.

So rather than simply giving a mix to a friend of music you like, why not get more specific and choose your favourite songs to garden to? I know you’ll have your own favourites — please do share them in the comments — but to get the ball rolling, here are a few of mine:

Nick Drake “From the Morning” – I often think of this song when I contemplate the affection I feel for my gardens. “Place to Be” is a good one too. Or “Horn.” Really, anything from the Pink Moon album works.
Stevie Wonder “Joy Inside My Tears” – Anything from Stevie Wonder’s soundtrack to the film “The Secret Life of Plants” is an obvious choice but when I thought about Stevie Wonder my initial thought was actually “Joy Inside My Tears” from the excellent, “Songs in the Key of Life.”
Stevie Wonder “Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing” – I don’t mean to make this “Stevie Wonder and Friends” but this is a good upbeat song that reminds me to chill out, take things in stride, and in the context of gardening feel a certain appreciation for the struggles I have overcome.
Nina Simone “Ain’t Got No, I Got Life” – Here’s another one in the Things-suck-but-I-still-kick-ass category. And at least I have my garden.
Public Enemy “Louder Than Bomb” – Yes, I do think Public Enemy is completely appropriate when gardening. Because when Chuck D wrote, “My posses always ready, and they’re waitin’ in my zone” he meant plants and the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, right?
Nina Simone “Save Me” – This is for when you are drowning in an aphid infestation.
The Roots “The Next Movement” – This song never fails to lift a bad mood and get me moving.
The Rolling Stones “Street Fighting Man” – This is one of my favourite “tearing shit up” songs.
Elliott Smith “Tomorrow Tomorrow” – I fell in love with the XO album during a particularly miserable summer and always ache to listen to it around June/July. Listen to this song and remind yourself that the forgiving thing about gardening is that there is always another chance to try again next year.
Feist “Mushaboom” – My friend is going to give me crap for listing this (sorry J) but COME ON, she talks about pining for a place to start a garden when you’re living in an apartment without a yard. I can’t help but relate.

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December 10, 2008

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Buddha’s Hand Citron (Citrus medica L.)

When that old adage “The grass is always greener” was coined they must have been thinking about gardeners — or maybe they were just thinking about gardeners like me — because as much as I love my gardens and appreciate the variety of plants this climate can grow, there is a part of me deep down inside that really, REALLY wants to try gardening in a warmer climate. That yearning rises up to the surface most especially when it comes to growing citrus.

Don’t get me wrong, I can grow citrus, just not in ground and certainly not outdoors year round. I have a small key lime and a small kumquat tree in pots that I diligently schlep outside in the summer and back indoors just before the first frost. They blossom and flourish during those months on the roof, but I spend the cold months indoors chasing light for them as best I can. They do produce — there are four kumquats on the tree as I write this. It’s possible, but a small struggle and I am definitely limited to plants that will thrive under these parameters. If I had more space and bigger windows I could definitely pull off more.

And yet, I dream about a Meyer lemon tree thriving in a fantasy yard and covered in more of those delicious thin-skinned lemons than I can handle. Oh, if only to have the problem of too many lemons. I dream about homegrown limes, soft and fresh off the tree, completely unlike the thick-skinned, tough little rocks we get at the supermarket here in the Cold North. The first time Davin and I traveled to Mexico in 1998 we nearly lost our shit over a lime tree next to the bus station. We watched as some kids played around knocking limes off the tree with huge sticks. Once the kids left I scooped up a lime they had left (probably considered the crappiest one and not worth taking by the standards of those kids) and held onto it for our entire 2 hour journey, both of us smelling it, squishing out the oils, and taking little bites, marveling over how it was the best lime we had ever seen in our lives. And it really was, the best lime we had ever seen in our entire lives up to that point. Davin eventually ate the thing whole, rind and all — that’s how good it was. Now, imagine an entire tree of those limes. I imagine Flying Dragon trees — they don’t really grow much that is edible but, wow, are they gorgeous! And best, if not craziest of all, growing my own Buddah’s Hand citron or some other ridiculously unreal citron variety. Can you imagine a tree with those octopus-like creatures dangling from the limbs?

I suppose the demand isn’t high for citrus trees here in Canada, because even though some of these plants are possible given the right conditions and a bit of work, they’re impossible to source out. I’ve been lucky enough to get the trees I have. Meyer lemons are about impossible to find. Yet when I travel to the U.S. citrus trees are easy to find. I’ve purchased unusual citrus trees for events in New York City and Chicago. The one we found at Sprout Home in Chicago was particularly huge and gorgeous, covered in heavy, variegated fruit. And in Austin, Texas… well, don’t even get me started on the wonderland that is a garden center in Austin. Sigh. The Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon sells all sorts of potted citrus trees from Flying Dragons to Buddha’s Hand for about 15 bucks a pop. I wanted so badly to take one home with me but alas, the powers that be do not allow it in your luggage (and for good reason). I found some interesting citrus leaves and fruit (including Kaffir Lime) for cooking at an Asian food stand in Vancouver’s Granville Island Market and brought a few home to enjoy since there was no border crossing on a trip like that. Unfortunately I did not find any actual plants.

Fortunately, just last week in Toronto I was FINALLY able to find a Buddha’s Hand citron. Just a fruit, not a plant, and the thing probably traveled about 20 million miles to get here, but it was exciting none-the-less to finally get a chance to cut one open and see what’s inside.

And here’s what it looks like:

Buddha’s Hand is a juiceless citrus made up entirely of rind and the white pithy stuff. I’ve read that it is mostly used to scent a room. Believe me the smell is amazingly strong. Davin says it’s the first thing he smells when he walks through the door. Apparently, when it comes to eating, it is best used to make candied rinds, flavor alcohol, or cooked with fish. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my Buddha’s Hand but I’d better make some decisions fast since I’ve already cut into it.

Know of any recipes or ways to use this citrus? I’d love to hear it.

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