Photos
Orange Snow
Forget the cold and wet stuff. Here in spring the orange blossoms carpet the ground like a snow made of sweet citrus petals. The scent is amazing.
Smoke from Spicy Oak
Today we're smoking a pork butt with oak wood that's been soaking in fermenting hot peppers for 4 months. I'm kind of excited to see hot the vanilla from the oak and grassy funk from the peppers come together in the pulled pork.
The Bee Hotel Has Guests
Last year I built a bee hotel in the hope of giving a few of our native bees nest space. Looks like it worked, because I can see the work of mason bees in a few of the holes!
The Start of a Native Flower Field?
I think the California native flowers are finally overtaking the thistle and mustard. A dry winter early and a wet one late may have been just what they needed.
The Keyhole Garden’s Second Anniversary
This week is the 2nd anniversary of the keyhole garden. By my estimates, after 725 days of continuous production, we’ve raised 36 crops and harvested over 150 lbs of herbs and veggies from this 50sq ft space.
Video: Mystery Chicken
Every so often, critters, like my mother-in-law, show up uninvited and decide to stay. This time it's something else. Can you tell who the interloper is?
Happiness is a full rain barrel (x3)
When you live in a state of perpetual drought, there's no better feeling than starting the spring garden with 3(!) rain barrels full of free water.
Found: One strange bird
A white Guinea hen showed up yesterday and made itself at home. It looks like an overweight bowling pin and makes more noise than all the roosters combined.
Over-Achieving Aeonium
A little Aeonium volunteer that escaped from the succulent garden. They're pesky here so normally they get tossed. But it looks so good I'm letting it stay (for a while anyway).
Getting Gourds Going
The gourds from last year's hanging garden are still drying on the vine, but I'm getting this year's vines started now. This year I'm adding luffa to the mix.