When to Plant those Tomatoes

I am just starting my first garden, but I already know that when to plant your tomatoes (and other similar plants) is always a big topic of discussion among Utah gardeners. Planting them too soon will probably lead to dead, frost-bitten plants. Waiting too long can lead to a shorter growing time, which means less delicious, juicy red fruits for salads, sandwiches, and sauces.

I have often heard that after Mother's Day is the general guideline for planting tomatoes, but it seems like Mom's day is coming a little early this year. This spring has also been so wet and cold, I'm a little nervous to put those plants out there just yet. We came across some info that we wanted to share. According to the locals, the time to plant tomatoes is:

"When the snow is off the Oquirrh Mountains."

That makes sense. Regardless of the snowfall, rainy season, or dryness of the year, the snow on the mountains will reflect what is going on in the rest of the valley. I'm going to take this bit of advice and plant my 'maters when I can't see any more snow on those western mountains.

What advice do you live by in your own gardens? Any tips for a beginning gardener like myself?

Photo Credit

A Little Flash of Happy

There is a noisy bunch of birds that live, or at least seem to "hang out," in the Cottonwood tree across the street from my apartment. The tree is massive, easily dwarfing everything else around it, except for a few other Cottonwood trees in the area. These birds habitually inhabit that tree and make a racket in the process. Not that I mind, except nearly every single one of those birds are European Starlings...an invasive species that wreaks havoc on local bird populations. But today, as I was checking the mail I heard a call rising above the usual chatter. There in the flowering plum tree in my neighbors yard was a brilliant bird I'd never seen before.

I stared at it for a while, watching and listening, trying to remember all of it's features so I could get online and figure out what it was. Turns out it is a Lesser Goldfinch, and it sure has a pretty call. I wonder if this guy lives around here, or if he's just passing?


"The lesser goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria, occurs throughout the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America, as well as in portions of northern South America. In Utah, this bird can be found statewide at mid to low elevations, but most predictably in the southern half of the state. Utah breeding populations generally withdraw south in winter, with the exception of birds in the southwestern corner of the state, which are year-round residents of the same area. This bird prefers scrub woodlands, such as scrub oak and pinyon-juniper habitats."

Credits: Text and Photo from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Have Fun and Be Safe: The Importance of Being Prepared

Being prepared in the wilderness is something that comes up frequently, whether it's posted on a trail head sign, being touted by forest rangers, or on the news when Search and Rescue had to pull someone off the mountain. Being prepared when hiking, camping, or doing other activities in the back country is not only a safety issue, but it also determines how the experience unfolds.

A few weeks ago I went down to Cedar City for work. (Have I ever told you how much I love my job?) I went with my boss, Jason, and Mark who is the Chair of USEE's Program Advisory Council and was helping us out. We were there to do some outreach and for a Focus Group meeting we had in the area. Our meeting got out early and we had some extra time, so we decided that it would be great to do a little exploration in Color Country. Little did we know, we were (or at least especially I was) extremely unprepared. We had plenty of water and warm clothes, but in Cedar City it was a beautifully sunny day. There sky was free of clouds and the weather was the warmest I've felt since September.

We decided to try Kolob Canyons. The scenery is picturesque and classically Southern Utah. What we didn't anticipate, however, was the amount of snow there would be on the trails. Cedar City was so gorgeously warm, with no snow to be found, but as we ascended the road to the trail head, the snow kept getting deeper. Mark was smart enough to bring along some gaiters to cover his shoes and pants and had a fine time. Jason had some boots that went up pretty high on his ankles, and seemed to do okay in the deep snow. I, on the other hand, had my hiking boots (which are really more like shoes rather than boots) and not-warm-enough socks. I am also considerably shorter than Mark and Jason.

Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Mark Larese-Casanova

The snow was 3 feet or more deep. There had been a snowshoer on the trail recently before us, so we opted to follow in his tracks. The scenery was beautiful. There's nothing quite like snow gracing the steep walls of the red rock canyons. I had a hard time following the guys as the snow was from my knees to almost my hips every step of the way. We trudged along, laughing at our unpreparedness, telling stories of similar times when we'd been unprepared, and listening to Mark tell us of his encounters with mountain lions. Inevitably, my shoe got stuck deep in the snow. I stood there on one foot bending, flailing, and reaching into the hole where my shoe was lodged, my face mashed against the melting snow as I stretched down, all the while the snow packing into my empty boot. My socks, shoes, and pants were soaked and we were all tired from wading through the crunchy, sinking snow. We decided to head back. I gather that the whole excursion was barely longer than a mile, if even that.

Canyon Overlook
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Mark Larese-Casanova

The canyon was breathtaking, and the event itself was even fun, but mostly the whole situation was quite comical. What's the lesson I learned that day? Just because it's warm in the valley and Zions National Park is in the "desert" doesn't mean that it will be snow-free and dry. A little preparation and planning would have changed the whole experience. Snowshoes, anyone?

Mark, doing fine with his gaiters, and Nicole struggling to keep her balance in the snow.
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Jason Taylor

1st Photo: Pinyon Pines and Snowshoe Hare Tracks, Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park. Photo Courtesy of Jason Taylor.

Nutrition and Community

My favorite day of every month is known quite affectionately as Distribution Day. I am a member of the Community Food Co-Op of Utah and on the last Saturday of the month I walk to my local distribution center (about 2 or 3 blocks from my home) and pick up a wonderful array of food. On these special Saturdays I can expect to pick up a healthy assortment of fresh fruits and veggies along with some grains, too. This month I was happy to bring home:

• 1 loaf of locally made whole wheat bread
• 1 5 lb. bag of red potatoes
• 1 lb. of brown rice
• 1 package of Utah's Own mushrooms
• 8 kiwis
• 6 apples
• 6 oranges
• 2 bunches of green onions
• 1 bunch of red leaf lettuce
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• and, my favorite treat this month, 4 artichokes!

And what did I pay for this beautiful bounty of healthy foods? $14. Can you believe it? I have been ordering food from the Co-Op for almost 3 years now, and I still can't believe it sometimes.

The mission of the Community Food Co-Op of Utah is to "provide quality, healthy food at a substantial savings through cooperative purchasing; and to build a sense of community and to promote volunteer service." The Co-op is for anybody and everybody. The catch? There is a one-time membership fee, of which value you may choose, and then each month you must volunteer 2 hours of your time. The Co-op provides many opportunities to do so and through their needs the Co-op community is built. But, if you can't volunteer with Co-op and already volunteer with another organization, then that counts too. It just has to be 2 hours of your time volunteered for a cause other than for members of your family.

Since I'm a vegetarian, I always order the Harvest Share. But, for the meat-eaters the Standard share comes with plenty of good meat from local butchers. There are all kinds of add-ons that you can get with your order, too. For instance, this month I purchased some local fresh apple cider for $2. They have team sites all over the Wasatch Front, from Park City to Tooele from Ogden to Nephi, where you can pick up your orders. (And if you don't live along the Wasatch Front, I'm sure there is a similar service in your area. I encourage you to find out.) I think this is a fantastic system for tackling some of the issues that concern me such as healthy eating and getting to know your neighbors.

One of my favorite things about the Co-Op is that we don't just get apples, oranges, and bananas every month. We get different things, depending on the season. Tomatoes, corn, squash, and peaches come in the late summer and fall from local growers. This month we received artichokes, which proved to be an exciting adventure as I have never even thought of buying and cooking an entire artichoke. (Which is DELICIOUS, by the way.) Sometimes we even get eggplant. Participating in the Co-Op has definitely inadvertently expanded my taste buds' appetite and my cooking abilities over the years.

So, if you want to purchase a healthy balance of foods for the next month (and embark upon a peregrination of the palate), I suggest you print out an order form, find a pick-up near you, and enjoy!

Note: If you are thinking about trying this out, order forms are due by March 13th!


Credits:

• Peppers
  
• Leafy Greens
  

Books I've Read Since Starting this Blog

In addition to my Environmental Literature list, I'm starting this list: Books I've Read Since Starting this Blog. (Note: Books are listed from most current at the top to my earliest reads at the bottom.)

• When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris
• Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time, by Greg Mortensen and Oliver Relin
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling
• Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach for Effortless, Injury-Free Running, by Danny Dreyer
  
• Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
  
• The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
  
• Into Thin Air, by John Krakauer
  
• Touching the Void, by Joe Simpson
• A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley
• Not Buying It, by Judith Levine
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity, by David Allen
• Into the Wild, by John Krakauer
• Jesus Land, by Julia Scheeres
• The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle
• Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Bargaining for Eden, by Stephen Trimble
• North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
  

Good stuff, huh? I know I've been enjoying them. Some more than others, of course, but for the most part all of these books have been excellent reads. I think in addition to these two lists I will also add something down the road that constitutes my top 25 favorite books or something, but that will be at a later date. What are some of your favorite books that you have been reading lately? Any recommendations?

Photo Credit

Idealism as the new Realism

A friend of mine sent me a link to an article about re-thinking the current free-market economic system called A Revolution in Spirit, by Benjamin R. Barber. This article is particularly poignant for both the times America is facing and also for me personally as I am in the middle of my Voluntary Simplicity Course and rethinking my own identity as a consumer. The main theme of the article is stated nicely here: "The issue is not the death of capitalism but what kind of capitalism--standing in which relationship to culture, to democracy and to life?" and it goes on to say:

"Refashion the cultural ethos by taking culture seriously. The arts play a large role in fostering the noncommercial aspects of society. It's time, finally, for a cabinet-level arts and humanities post to foster creative thinking within government as well as throughout the country. Time for serious federal arts education money to teach the young the joys and powers of imagination, creativity and culture, as doers and spectators rather than consumers."

I'm all for that. There has never been a better time than now to rethink the mindset that America has been propelling for upwards of thirty years. I'm also a fan of these suggestions:

"Recreation and physical activity are also public goods not dependent on private purchase. They call for parks and biking paths rather than multiplexes and malls. Speaking of the multiplex, why has the new communications technology been left almost entirely to commerce? Its architecture is democratic, and its networking potential is deeply social. Yet for the most part, it has been put to private and commercial rather than educational and cultural uses. Its democratic and artistic possibilities need to be elaborated, even subsidized...For far too long our primary institutions--from education and advertising to politics and entertainment--have prized consumerism above everything else, even at the price of infantilizing society. If spirit is to have a chance, they must join the revolution."

It wont be easy to make these changes, that's for sure. But in a society where identities are shaped by what you purchase and consume and the divide between the rich and poor continues to separate itself, why not seriously consider some alternatives? I want to make something of my time here on Earth that is worth more than the demarcations of trash that I can produce as a consumer. "We elected a president committed in principle to deep change. Rather than try to back out of the mess we are in, why not find a way forward?"

This article addresses some great issues; more than I can portray here. I challenge you to read it and really think about it. What does capitalism mean and how can looking at it a little differently change the ways in which our society, economy, and culture are fueled?

Photo Credit

A Not-so-amazing Amazing Idea

Do you ever have those days when you have an amazing idea? Then you realize that the idea wasn't that great, but you're still really proud of it?

I have been trying to reduce my plastic consumption. It's nothing drastic, but I am trying to pay attention to what kinds of products I'm purchasing. Packaging is an issue, but so is buying so many of the products that are out there from toothbrushes to toasters. One thing that's easy to do is stop using plastic grocery bags, which I have done. The next logical step in that process is also to stop using the plastic bags that stores provide for putting produce in.

Deciding that it's okay for your tomatoes, apples, and oranges to roll around in your cart takes a little bit of getting used to. And what about things like broccoli? I got some little mesh bags that have a drawstring at the top for putting in produce. I find that I only need a couple and when they're full, I can let my apples roll around a little bit. So far this plan is working nicely. The only "problem" I've run into is what to do with the lettuce. That flimsy plastic bag seems to keep it so clean and fresh and keeps the rest of my groceries dry. (The misters always seem to go off right before or during my lettuce picking experience.)

Photo Credit

When I get home, I like to wash and chop up the lettuce first thing and mix it all back in the plastic bag so when it comes time to making salads to take the work the next day, I just have to reach in and pull out a handful. But I'm trying to use less plastic, so this plan is no longer viable. Solution? I had two half-full bags of tortilla chips. I dumped one into the other, rinsed out the bag and let it air dry. By the time I got back from the store and prepared all of the lettuce, the bag was clean, dry, and ready to go. It still smelled a bit salty, but what can you do?

Now I have a tortilla-chip bag full of chopped lettuce. When my friends open the fridge they laugh and think it's a little silly, but I'll tell you what, my lettuce has never stayed crispier!

Tip: Throw in a paper towel with the lettuce before wrapping it all up in the bag. This keeps the lettuce crispy and rust free by soaking up extra moisture in the bag. Then, clean something up with it when you're done with the lettuce, or save it for the next batch.

Tortilla Chip Photo