Farm Trails

Sonoma County Farm Trails is a great resource for finding locally grown produce and artisan products close to the San Francisco Bay Area. Farm Trails is a non-profit organization that started in 1973 to provide a way for local farmers to market directly to customers. Over the years their vision has expanded to promoting and preserving sustainable and diverse agriculture in Sonoma County, which is 100 miles north of San Francisco.

Sonoma County Farm Trails logo

The organization represents farming, animal husbandry, cheese manufacturing, wine, flowers, herbs, fiber and a host of artisan products. Many of the farms offer CSA subscriptions, road-side stands, and on-site tours. Most have an online presence through web sites, blogs, and email.

Several events are associated with Farm Trails, including plant sales, fund raising events, the Gravenstein Apple Fair, Weekend Along the Farm Trails, and educational venues. The organization publishes a guide, which enables you to locate and contact growers. This is a great way to locate and purchase products and produce right from the source, support local business, and support local, sustainable agriculture. To learn more: www.farmtrails.org/.

The Harvest

“Harvest” might be a little grandiose for our tiny 8 feet by 4 feet raised bed, but we are enjoying a continual trickle of peas, lettuce, radishes, and, soon, cherry tomatoes. I’m not sure if the pole beans will ever materialize – lots of vines and blossoms, but no sign of an actual bean. We typically get our heat in September and October, here in the San Francisco Bay Area, so there may still be hope. One carrot is left to harvest; the others were eaten by garden pests as sprouts.

Peas and blossoms	Pole bean blossoms, but no beans
Ruby and emerald lettuce	Cherry tomatoes

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We’ve had a number of garden pests in the form of marauding deer who love tomato blossoms, and skunks who love lettuce (or slug salads). I try to live harmoniously with these woodland creatures, and count on a certain amount of pilfering; but I may rethink this pacifist philosophy next year, and cloak the garden bed in deer netting!

Raised bed vegetable garden after three months

I’m grateful that our family’s survival does not depend on this little garden plot, because we would surely starve. Still, it is a pleasure to plan, plant, and tend a vegetable garden, and very satisfying to eat the produce.

Beatrix Potter

One of my summer pleasures was reading the biography Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature, by Linda Lear, (a gift from a friend who knows my love of nature). I grew up reading Beatrix Potter books as a child, and read them to our son when he was young. The stories are full of life, and the pictures are very appealing. Two of my favorites are The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tailor of Gloucester. But I learned Beatrix had other accomplishments.

She was born in Victorian London to a wealthy family, and lived from 1866 to 1943. As young woman she sketched and drew from nature, especially animals and plants. She was an amateur botanist, specializing in the study of mushrooms, then wrote and illustrated her children's books. In her middle years, Potter bought several farms in England’s Lake District, including Hill Top Farm. She immersed herself in fell farming, breeding Herdwick sheep, and managing her properties. She also became interested in preserving the countryside, and the legacy of fell farming, and began buying up property in the Lake District. In her forties, she married William Heelis, and together they managed the properties, with the plan to turn them over to the National Trust.

Reading this biography makes me want to re-read her books (it has been a few years), and look for some of the details from her life that show up in the illustrations and stories. It was interesting to learn about her botanical pursuits, which were thwarted because she was a woman, and how she pursued publishing as a means to economic independence. Beatrix Potter was an artist, writer, botanist, landlord, farmer, gardener, business woman, and visionary preservationist. To learn more: http://www.bpotter.com/. 

Community Supported Agriculture

While learning more about urban farming in the San Francisco Bay Area, I kept reading about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and CSA plans. That made me curious to know more.

CSAs provide a way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food from a farmer. Typically a farmer works out a plan with stakeholders describing what the farmer plans to grow.  The farmer offers “shares” of produce to the “shareholders.” A share may be a box of fruits and vegetables once a week. Shareholders subscribe in advance and receive their share. Farmers are paid in advance based on the subscriptions. Shareholders share in the benefits of fresh produce, as well as the risks associated with farming.

Photo by Madame Furie under Creative Commons non-commercial licnese
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/madame_furie/3649737943/).

There are variations on this model. Shareholders may be able to modify the contents of the box, to work out alternate schedules. Multiple farmers and food producers (bakers, meat, honey, and so forth) may form an informal cooperative, offering additional choices to the subscriber. The plan is submitted for inclusion in the CSA database. To find a CSA close to you, search the database: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/.

Urban Farming Exhibit

By chance, we encountered the urban gardening exhibit at the Oakland International Airport while seeing our son off to fly back to University of Alaska, Anchorage. The exhibit is presented by the Oakland Museum of California at the airport from June 24 – October 7, 2011, and was organized by guest curator Sean Olson. The installation describes and shows the basics of soil, composting, and vermiculture (use of worms).

Urban farming exhibit at Oakland International Airport

The exhibit also introduces three Oakland nonprofit organizations:

• City Slicker Farms – empowers West Oakland to meet basic healthy food needs by creating urban farms and backyard gardens: http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/

• OBUGS (Oakland Based Urban Gardens) – uses gardens to build healthy communities for children, youth and families in a network of school and neighborhood gardens, green spaces, and farmers’ markets: www.obugs.org/

• Planting Justice – is dedicated to food justice, economic justice, and sustainable local food systems, by helping families build their own gardens, fostering an understanding of food, and enabling them to grow fresh food: http://www.plantingjustice.org/

These organizations provide a proactive and positive solution for bringing fresh, affordable, and delicious food to the urban setting in West Oakland, building a healthy community, and helping to create green jobs.

Urban Farming

Here is an interesting LA Times article about urban farming, written by Lee Romney, and shared by an Eden By The Bay reader: Across the Bay Area, urban farming is in season. The article describes a legal urban farm that is operating in the San Francisco city limits. Two enterprising women run the small commercial farm, Little City Gardens. This is possible because they challenged the San Francisco Planning Code, and the San Francisco Planning Commission revised the code! The revision enables small parcels of land to be used to grow horticultural crops and sell them within the city limits. According to the article, Oakland and Berkeley are also revising their city planning codes for urban agriculture.

Little City Gardens green house (photo by David Silver,
under Creative Commons non-commercial license:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidsilver/5438375239/)

This seems like a great idea - small urban farms close to the people they serve. It saves fuel, provides delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables to city residents, and provides a respite green zone in the cityscape. This could pave the way for more community or roof top gardens for restaurants, homeless shelters, and apartment dwellers. Without zoning changes, it may be illegal to sell or give away produce from your garden, or to grow vegetables in your front yard! Some oversight would be beneficial, to ensure soil is not polluted, and harmful chemicals are not used. But overall this seems like a great idea.

To read the ordinance: http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/planning/article1generalzoningprovisions?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:sanfrancisco_ca$anc=JD_102.35

Farmers’ Market to Your Door

An option for obtaining fresh produce in the San Francisco Bay Area is to subscribe to a co-op or distributor. For years I’ve subscribed to Spud (formerly The Box, until it was acquired by Spud; http://www.spud.com/). Every two weeks I receive a box of organically grown fruits and vegetables, mostly from local or nearly-local farms and orchards. The produce is beautiful, delicious, and farm fresh.

Organic peas grown in the Bay Area

I typically get a standard box with in-season produce every two weeks. I can customize if I want, but I typically like to be surprised with what is in season, and adapt my meals accordingly. Their Web site makes it easy to change my delivery schedule and box contents if I choose. I receive an e-mail in advance that lists the produce I will receive, which helps for planning meals and other shopping needed for the week. The packing slip lists the local or imported source of each product. Delivery is free with a minimum order amount.

Another option in the Bay Area is Planet Organics (http://www.planetorganics.com/), which enables you to shop online for organic produce and other products. They also offer a delivery service. Their Web site provides a resource for producers, growers, and consumers.

Farmers’ Markets

I love going to the Farmers’ Market in Montclair after church on Sunday in search of good food and culinary treasures. What a treat to purchase the week’s fruits, vegetables, bread, cheese, eggs, meat, and seafood directly from a local grower or producer, or street food right from the vendor. This is the idea behind year-round or seasonal farmers markets in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Farmers' Market in Montclair Village - a great place to shop

The produce is freshly picked, in season, and full of flavor. Small growers may offer heirloom or special varieties, which big producers cannot grow and distribute. Purchasing directly from the producer and mingling with your neighbors creates a sense of community and relationship. Buying locally also reduces fuel consumption to get product to market. The markets are typically on the weekend, but some are offered during the week.

The Montclair market is part of the Urban Village Farmers’ Market Association (to find a market near you: http://www.urbanvillageonline.com/). But they are just one of many such associations. The Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association manages the Sunday market at Jack London Square (http://www.jacklondonsquare.com/events/farmersmarket.html); some Kaiser Medical Centers host markets on site (https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/redirects/farmersmarkets/in-northern-california.htm); and many San Francisco Bay Area cities and towns offer markets (check the Internet for what’s available in your town). One of my favorite markets is the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace for its cut flowers and produce (http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/farmers_market.php).

Patio Shades

Controlling light is an important aspect for making our patio inviting and practical as an outside room. At certain times of the year, sunlight comes slanting into the patio at a blinding angle. This is especially true from late summer to early spring here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

My husband researched solutions and came up with outdoor shades from coolaroo.com. The shade fabric is breathable, comes in several colors and levels of UV protection (50, 64, and 84), and is long-lasting. Shades come in the form of blinds, sails, gazebos, and umbrellas. We chose the rollup style, and purchased two six-foot shades and a twelve-foot shade for maximum control and adjustability. As the sun moves across the sky, we can raise and lower the right shade at the right time. Besides controlling light, the fabric lets a breeze through in hot weather, and blocks wind in cool weather.

Outside shades enable us to control light on the patio

His solution enables us to enjoy the patio throughout the year, whether escaping light and heat in summer, or wrapped in down blankets and layers of wool and fleece in winter!

Patio Lights

In summer, our family likes to move some of our activities outside. This means gardening and working on special projects in the yard. It also means barbequing and eating outside; and reading, writing, computing, and conversing around the patio table. Even with our cool, misty mornings and evenings here in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are times when the patio is sunny and warm.

We look for ways to make the patio inviting and practical as an outside room. For several years, strings of paper lanterns (a gift from my sister) provided a soft glow of light in the evening. The lanterns finally deteriorated after several years of service, so this year we replaced them with strings of clear globe lights. We enjoy the lights from outside, when sitting out on a warm evening; and from inside, when it is too cool to sit outside.

Supplies for haning string lights

Hanging string lights

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You can find reasonably priced outdoor lights from a variety of sources. Purchase lights off season for the best prices. We use an outdoor electrical outlet and heavy duty electrical cord (used for outdoor Christmas lights) for power, and insulated staples for mounting the cord and lights. A remote control (also raided from the Christmas lights box), makes it easy to turn the lights on and off from inside the house.

String lights by night

Artful Green Roof in Juneau, Alaska

Our son heads back to University of Alaska, Anchorage soon. It’s been wonderful having him around for the summer. He’s pursuing an art degree, and has spent a good deal of the summer researching and working on several experimental art projects. He has received various pigments and papers by mail, explored chemistry for various fixatives and bonding agents, and experimented with merging computer and traditional printing ideas. The art world seems to be embracing more non-toxic alternatives to the chemicals that have been used in the past, many of which have caused harm to artists. It’s been a treat to walk along side all this activity.

Roof garden in Juneau, Alaska using Tlingit motifs
(photo by Dave Harris, used with permission).

To drown my sorrow at his leaving, I’m reporting on a green roof that has been installed in Juneau, Alaska (403 miles from Anchorage by air, or 850 miles by road). The roof is on the Downtown Transportation Center in downtown Juneau, and viewable from surrounding buildings and hills. The roof is covered with square trays of sedum and native Alaskan sea thrift. The squares are placed in patterns used in Tlingit basketry; the red and yellow sedums on the left represent water and tides, and the red sedums and sea thrift on the right represent shaman or chief. Anyone familiar with traditional Tlingit art knows its bold and distinctive styling. This is a wonderful variation on green roofs – to create a representative pattern in plants. And exciting to see traditional art pushing into new frontiers.

Special thanks to Dave Harris for use of his photograph. To learn more about the roof see:

http://juneauempire.com/stories/080110/loc_689270345.shtml. To help a fledging artist, buy a painting or hire a newly formed gardening company!

Wall Trellises

I have recently been inspired by industrial wall trellises used to decorate businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. In a way, this is a variation on green roofs, but with a vertical orientation rather than horizontal. In Emeryville, West Elm has a large wall trellis, in addition to their green roof. The trellis is made of an industrial strength wire mesh.

In Dublin, a utilitarian structure for housing trash and recycle containers is painted an attractive color, with a trellis attached for contrasting bougainvillea plants. The trellis is made of parallel strands of wire attached to the wall with eye screws.

Trellises are typically mounted away from the wall, so that vines or plants cling to the trellis, and not the wall. This avoids damage to the wall. Trellises can be purchased and mounted, or they can be constructed in place. A trellis would be a beautiful addition to a private garden.

Water Features in Santa Cruz

In a short stretch of coastline, Santa Cruz includes saltwater beaches, lagoons (salty or brackish “lakes”), estuaries, and rivers or creeks. Each of these water features may be associated with distinctive geological formations, microclimates, and plant communities. According to botanist *Glenn Keator, plant communities are “repeatable assemblages of plants that grow together because of similar adaptations to microclimates, soils and slopes, and biotic factors.”

Natural Bridges State Beach - dunes and salt water.

Small lagoon at Natural Bridges State Beach. Moore Creek empties into the lagoon.

 San Lorenzo River runs through Santa Cruz, and empties into the Santa Cruz Harbor.

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By understanding the unique geology, microclimate, soil type, aspect, and native plant community, it is possible to plan a garden that includes a palette of plants, trees, and shrubs that works together. As my visits to the desert fostered my interest in dry climate plants, my visit to the Santa Cruz coast has fostered an interest in coastal and riparian plants. More research is needed.

* Keator, Glenn and Middlebrook, Alrie. Designing California Native Gardens: The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens, page 7. University of California Press, Berkeley, Lost Angeles, London, 2007. ISBN 0520239784  or 9780520239784.