Toki Oshima drawing By Roberta Bailey In the pre-dawn hours of a bitter cold February morning, we had a house fire. It is an absolutely surreal process to move through getting everyone out safely, to call 911, to grab coats and a drawer of photographs, a spinning wheel, a computer, then to look around
Toki Oshima drawing By Cheryl Wixson Archaeologists say that humans have been eating mussels for more than 20,000 years, and with good reasons. This edible bivalve of the marine family Mytilidae is an incredibly nutrient-dense seafood choice. The methods for both harvesting wild mussels and farming cultivated mussels are also environmentally sound, making them a
Strawberry runners transplanted in August. Roberta Bailey photo A thick patch of strawberry plants at the end of the second summer, ready to be tilled under as weeds are encroaching. Roberta Bailey photo By Roberta Bailey We all want to grow strawberries. Who can resist the allure of a basket brimming with fat, red, juicy
Shiitake mushrooms in the Exhibition Hall of the Common Ground Country Fair. Amy LeBlanc photo By Steve Gabriel Research based at Cornell University in partnership with the University of Vermont, Chatham University, county Cooperative Extension personnel and farmers has increased demand for and interest in forest mushrooms. This effort was boosted by almost a decade
For this pollinator study, tomato plants in 5-gallon buckets had some of the flower clusters covered with net bags before they went into the field. Photo courtesy of San Francisco State University By Sue Smith-Heavenrich A study released earlier this year from San Francisco State University shows that native bees provide an important pollination service
Eric Sideman alongside one of the high tunnels in Almería, Spain, where the density of reflective tunnels has lowered temperatures in the area. Becky Sideman photo By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Those of you who know me know that I never look forward to leaving my farm. I have to be talked into traveling – and
The basic 22 x 48 metal frame of my moveable high tunnel. This size allows for sufficient ventilation through end wall vents. The sliding side-wall entrance alleviates the necessity for an end-wall entrance, so the end walls are stronger. By Phil Norris Photos by the author Here in Maine, the short growing season makes some
Oats. English photo By Joyce White Plants known as herbs have been a part of healing the body, mind and spirit for most of known human history. Cultures have differed, stresses have differed, but the use of plants for healing as well as for food has remained constant through time. The brain, it was previously
‘Shaker’ is one of the largest, most vigorous top-setting onions. Will Bonsall photo By Will Bonsall I want to have fresh onions all year, but there’s a window in late spring-early summer when any bulb onions left in the cellar are sprouted or rotten and the new crop has yet to come in. Moreover there
Delegates from the MOFGA-El Salvador sistering committee met with our sistering organizations, CCR and CORDES, this winter. Mining – a direct threat to agricultural land and water – was a prominent topic of discussion. By the MOFGA-El Salvador Sistering Committee Interest in organic farming and gardening and in permaculture is strong in El Salvador. That
